The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player

Juri and Ryu Min headed towards a nearby park, their destination of choice.

“Let’s take a seat here,” Juri said, gesturing towards the bench as soon as they arrived.

Without wasting a moment, she handed Ryu Min an envelope, catching him off guard.

“I can’t accept it,” she urged.

“But this is the money I gave to the boss,” Ryu Min protested.

“We can’t accept such a large sum, so just take it,” Juri insisted.

To Juri, ten million won was an immense amount of money, but to Ryu Min, who possessed billions, it was a mere pittance.

‘It’s certainly a significant amount to them. Well, I anticipated her refusal anyway,’ Ryu Min thought to himself.

‘She has this personality which doesn’t allow her to be indebted to anyone, no matter how poor she may be.’

From personality traits to preferences, favorite foods to household circumstances, Ryu Min prided himself on having a decent understanding of Juri.

He had spent a lot of time collecting information to warrant such confidence.

Therefore, Ryu Min believed he could win Juri over to his side.

“Take it quickly. My arm hurts,” Juri insisted, shaking the envelope she held.

However, Ryu Min had no intention of accepting it.

‘If I take this envelope, my relationship with Juri will come to an end. I must find a way to keep our connection alive by using the lottery as an excuse.’

With a determined expression, he shook his head.

“I won’t take it.”

“What?” Juri seemed taken aback by his response.

“I already told the boss, but this money is given out of a sense of guilt. It’s the bare minimum of my conscience,” Ryu Min explained.

“But the amount is too substantial…”

“No matter the amount, I hope the boss will accept it. Otherwise, I’ll keep feeling remorseful,” Ryu Min declared.

Though he uttered these words, Ryu Min harbored no actual remorse toward the boss.

After all, when the next round commenced, there would be a multitude of losers, shaking the economy to its core.

‘In the end, the lottery market will crumble naturally within a few months.’

He had merely expedited the process by monopolizing the prize money.

One could argue that using future information wasn’t entirely ethical, so he didn’t completely lack a sense of guilt.

“In any case, the damage caused by my actions warrants compensation.”

That’s why he insisted on offering ten million won, even if Juri continued to refuse.

“Consider it like repaying my debt to you. Please, take it.”

“But it’s too much! It’s burdensome,” Juri persisted.

“This money was meant for this purpose, regardless of the amount,” Ryu Min chuckled inwardly, but his expression remained stoic.

To receive Juri’s assistance, he had no choice but to put her in debt in some way.

“Please relay the message to the boss. Let him know not to feel burdened since it’s not a significant sum for me.”

Juri sighed in defeat as Ryu Min firmly declined her offer.

“Is this really who you are? Why are you so stubborn…” Juri trailed off, sighing.

“If we’re done talking, may I leave?” Ryu Min stood up, surprising Juri.

“Just a moment! In that case, since ten million won is too much to bear, I’ll only accept one million. How about that?”

“Why do you get to decide? You should ask the boss,” Ryu Min questioned.

“Even my dad wouldn’t want to receive such a large amount.”

“Dad?” Ryu Min wore a startled expression, completely caught off guard.

“So, the convenience store owner is your dad?”

“Yes.”

“Wow… I visit this place often, so it’s quite remarkable.”

“It’s amazing for me too. To think the first-place winner of the lottery is my classmate…”

“A classmate…”

They hadn’t spoken to each other, but they were classmates.

Considering them true friends was a challenge.

“But I had no idea we were in the same class for real! I figured it out the moment you stepped into the convenience store,” Juri exclaimed.

“I’m sorry. I’m truly terrible at remembering faces. Plus, this is our first proper conversation,” Ryu Min apologized sincerely.

“I see…”

Although they had been classmates for a whole year, they never had the opportunity to converse.

Becoming close between genders and with their timid nature made it no easy task.

Of course, the Ryu Min of then and the Ryu Min now were worlds apart.

He seemed like a completely different person.

To Juri, who was engaging in their first genuine conversation, it was hard to perceive the change.

“Then it means you just learned my name today too?” Juri questioned.

“I’m sorry, but yes,” Ryu Min admitted.

“…”

Juri’s lips parted, astounded by the revelation.

She hadn’t anticipated Ryu Min being entirely unaware of her name.

“I can’t believe you don’t even know my name. It’s disappointing, but I’m not giving up,” Juri stated, her eyes ablaze with newfound determination.

It seemed to fuel her self-esteem rather than a gaze of resignation and disappointment.

“As I mentioned earlier, my name is Juri. We’re classmates, and as you can see, this is what I look like… Can you remember that?”

“Uh…”

“Don’t answer me like this. Look closely. Make sure to remember it,” Juri insisted, extending her head as if urging him to imprint her features in his mind.

Juri’s resolute gaze unsettled Ryu Min, sparking a flicker of confusion.

“…”

“Phew… It suddenly hit me. What am I doing? Graduation is just around the corner, yet here I am discussing exchanging names with a classmate… It feels somewhat bittersweet,” Juri sighed.

“Well, at least now I know. It’s not like we won’t be able to keep in touch after graduation,” Ryu Min pointed out.

Juri’s eyes subtly shifted at his words, but Ryu Min acted like he failed to perceive the change.

“In that sense, could you give me your number?” Ryu Min requested.

“M-My number?”

Juri seemed taken aback, and question marks hovered above Ryu Min’s face.

“Why? Is it not usual for classmates to exchange numbers,” Ryu Min clarified.

“R-Right. I’ll input it. Give me your phone.”

As Ryu Min handed Juri his phone, she deftly entered her number.

In an instant, Juri’s phone vibrated with an incoming call.

“It’s my number. Save it,” He instructed.

“Uh, okay.”

“Since we’ve met like this, let’s stay in touch often.”

“S-Sure.”

“Well then, I’ll leave first. I have some things to attend to.”

“Wait, the envelope…”

Ryu Min waved dismissively and departed without a second thought.

Juri stood there, gazing at his retreating figure, feeling a sense of confusion.

“In the end, I couldn’t return the envelope.”

Juri placed a hand on her chest, her gaze fixed on Ryu Min’s gradually disappearing form in the distance.

Thump, thump, thump…

Her heart pounded as if on the verge of malfunctioning.

“To suddenly ask for my number…”

Her heart raced, leaving her in a state of flustered confusion.