The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 134

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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The Maxed-Out Player’s 100th Return – Episode 134
134. Tower of Trials
Before arriving at the Lizardman Demon Swamp.
Ryu Min had broken away from the group early.
With so many people around, it wasn’t difficult to slip away unnoticed.
‘No one will even realize I’m gone.’
Just to be safe, I paused and checked for any tails following me, but none appeared.
Reassured, I passed by a pair of massive twin saplings and slipped between the rocks.
Then a distinctly suspicious cave came into view.
The moment I stepped into that dark cavern without hesitation, a message suddenly illuminated the darkness.
[A hidden Sub Quest is available!]
【Sub Quest】
└Find the Hidden Portal
└Upon success ▶ Indomitable Resistance Potion awarded
[Sub Quest completed!]
As the message announced the quest’s completion, a shimmering portal materialized before my eyes.
My lips curved into a satisfied smile.
‘Found it. The hidden portal.’
The Round 9 Sub Quest was none other than finding the hidden portal.
It was a Sub Quest that could only be found in the Lizardman subjugation unit, the lowest difficulty option.
‘That’s why I chose the Lizardman unit. The other subjugation units don’t have Sub Quests.’
Initially, I didn’t know what the Sub Quest was either.
Not until Angel told me during the Round 9 settlement results.
‘Once I learned that finding the hidden portal was a Sub Quest, I explored every nook and cranny with each return, trying every option.’
I found it by selecting from option 5 down to 1 in reverse order.
And that’s how I discovered this place—a cave near the Lizardman Demon Swamp.
I discovered the hidden portal here and was able to complete the Sub Quest.
The reward wasn’t bad either—the Indomitable Resistance Potion.
[Indomitable Resistance Potion]
-Classification: Consumable
-Grade: Legendary
-Effect: For 4 hours, fire, ice, and wind resistance fixed at 95%
-Usage Restriction: Regular Grade or higher
-Description: An extraordinary item that pushes resistance to the three primary elements to their absolute limit. Upon consumption, you won’t sweat even in the height of summer, and you can walk shirtless in the depths of winter without feeling the cold.
It was a Legendary potion, no less.
The effect was excellent, but why would they give me this specifically?
There was a reason for it.
‘This reward was meant to be used here in the Tower of Trials.’
I gazed at the shimmering portal before me.
I already knew what awaited inside.
Without hesitation, I took a decisive step forward.
My body was pulled into a different dimension.
[Welcome to the Tower of Trials.]
[The Tower of Trials is a tower that tests the limits of Players from Floor 1 to Floor 99.]
[Since the Tower does not share the flow of time with other dimensions, please disregard the outside world and freely conquer the Tower.]
[Anyone may challenge it, but only one person can obtain the reward on each floor.]
[If someone else has already obtained the reward for that floor, you will receive no reward even if you clear it.]
[If you die in the Tower, you will be ejected back to your original dimension and cannot attempt again.]
[Now then, please, by all means, challenge your limits!]
As the explanation that scrolled up indicated, this place was a tower that tested the limits of Players.
‘Each floor has all manner of traps and trials. And rewards, too.’
Only one person could obtain the reward placed on each floor.
This was why I had hidden the existence of the Sub Quest through prophecy.
‘All the rewards belong to me.’
To obtain rewards up to Floor 99, I climbed the Tower.
As I climbed, my feelings were strangely renewed.
‘I failed to clear Floor 99 a total of 58 times.’
Failure meant death, but here, even in death, I would simply return to the Cave where the original portal was located.
The only regret was being unable to attempt again.
‘But I had many opportunities to challenge it. And ultimately, on my 59th attempt, I succeeded in clearing Floor 99.’
After that, I climbed perfectly to Floor 99 every time and claimed the reward.
That reward was not the Rune of Concealment I was supposed to obtain in Round 9.
‘The Rune of Concealment was merely a secondary reward obtainable from the upper floors of the Tower of Trials.’
The reward on Floor 99 was one that could counter the Angels—a reward absolutely necessary to stand against them.
‘That’s why only one person can obtain it.’
This was the reason the Angels would raise hell if they found out.
I didn’t know why a reward unfavorable to the Angels was given, though.
‘Well, good is good, isn’t it?’
This time too, I would claim that reward.
Just as I always had.
Click— Creeeeak—
As I opened the towering door and entered, a message appeared.
[You have entered Floor 1 of the Tower of Trials.]
[Overcome the prepared trial and you will receive a reward.]
[Upon successful completion of Floor 1 ▶ Strength +1]
As the message indicated, the Tower of Trials had rewards on each floor.
In other words, there were 99 rewards in total.
For me, it was no different than a treasure chest.
‘But I mustn’t let my guard down.’
Each floor’s trial was filled with high-difficulty traps.
‘A Player entering for the first time would have quite the struggle.’
Before me lies a corridor shrouded in absolute darkness.
Since no one can predict what might emerge, tension is inevitable.
‘But that doesn’t apply to me.’
I sprinted forward without hesitation.
Whoosh—
Iron spikes burst from the left wall, but I dodged as if I’d anticipated them.
Immediately after, more spikes thrust from the right wall, which I evaded just as effortlessly.
Next came iron spikes erupting from the floor.
I cleared those with a light jump, having predicted their arrival.
Life-or-death situations unfolded in mere seconds.
At this point, the traps seemed designed to kill, yet they proved far easier than expected.
‘Had I proceeded slowly, I could have detected the mechanisms’ sounds and sensed the danger beforehand.’
But knowing the exact locations of every trap, there was no reason for me to move cautiously.
I simply broke through at full speed.
[You have cleared Floor 1 of the Tower of Trials.]
[As a reward, Strength permanently increases by 1.]
[You will advance to the next floor in 10 seconds.]
Reading the message, I laughed.
For someone who had conquered 99 floors, this was nothing.
‘Floor 2 next—arrow traps.’
My form vanished in an instant.
* * *
Whoosh—!
Clang—!
Chains and arrows descended upon me simultaneously.
I evaded with fluid grace, executing a somersault through the air.
The floor collapsed with a thunderous crack, revealing a bottomless chasm.
Clang—
I seized the swaying chain, then leaped to the next one, crossing the void.
Landing on solid ground beyond the chasm, I continued my relentless sprint.
Having conquered this floor dozens of times before, the trap locations were etched into my memory.
[You have cleared Floor 19 of the Tower of Trials.]
[As a reward, Agility permanently increases by 2.]
[You will advance to the next floor in 10 seconds.]
Climbing to Floor 19, I had permanently gained Strength +7, Intelligence +7, Agility +7, and Luck +5.
Reaching this point alone was an extraordinary achievement.
‘But for a first-time climber, Floor 9 would likely be their limit.’
As the tens digit of the floor number increased, the difficulty spiked dramatically.
In other words, from Floor 10 onward, traps were positioned at a difficulty level that ordinary Players would struggle to overcome.
‘I’d need at least 150 agility and over level 50 just to have a chance at reaching the 20th floor.’
For that reason, reaching this point was already a remarkable achievement for an ordinary Player.
Of course, Ryu Min was no ordinary Player.
‘From the 20th floor to the 39th, monsters will appear.’
Since only those over level 50 could reach the 20th floor, the monsters that spawned here were equally formidable.
‘Minotaurs spawn as standard fare—that says everything.’
Though for Ryu Min, they were merely decent sources of experience.
‘It’s also an opportunity to stack the Rune of Slaughter.’
Since I hadn’t defeated monsters before, my Rune of Slaughter stack remained at zero.
Once I accumulated 100 stacks, all my stats would double—I was eager to secure that buff quickly.
“Grrrrr.”
A monster’s cry echoed through the darkened corridor.
Hisss—
Yet Ryu Min only laughed.
Scythe in hand, I charged forward with a grin.
This was my chance to build stacks.
* * *
“GWAAARRGH!”
Thud—
The headless ogre’s corpse crumpled lifelessly to the ground.
[Ogre defeated!]
[Title effect: Experience increased by 1.5x.]
[Experience +5.7%]
[Gold +12,000]
[Current Kill Count: 200/100]
[Rune of Slaughter effect: All stats increased by 100%.]
[Demon Ring effect: Damage increased by 15%.]
Having just cleared the 39th floor, Ryu Min opened his status window.
His level had already climbed to 85.
I’d stacked the Rune of Slaughter buff and gained 2 stats from the Orb of Eternal Sleep.
‘Beyond that, I’ve collected the clear rewards from each floor.’
Everything from Expert-grade rare equipment to Unique gear.
[Tower of Trials Floor 39 cleared!]
[You receive ‘Trial Necklace’ as a reward.]
[Advancing to the next floor in 10 seconds.]
Ryu Min examined the reward I’d received.
[Trial Necklace]
-Classification: Necklace
-Grade: Unique
-Effect: Strength, Intelligence +39
-Durability: 5,000/5,000
-Usage Restriction: Master Grade or higher
-Description: A necklace that can only be obtained by clearing the Tower of Trials located somewhere in the world. Obtaining this means you’ve cleared the 39th floor.
What I received this time was Master-grade Unique equipment.
I smiled with satisfaction.
This would be useful in situations where I wasn’t using the Orb of Eternal Sleep.
“So now it’s the 40th floor.”
My eyes filled with tension.
Everything up until now had been a warm-up. The real challenge started here.
Upon reaching the 40th floor, I retrieved the Indomitable Resistance Potion I’d received as a sub-quest reward.
From here on, this potion would be essential.
‘Use it.’
[You use the ‘Indomitable Resistance Potion’.]
[Flame Resistance is fixed at 95%.]
[Frost Resistance is fixed at 95%.]
[Wind Resistance is fixed at 95%.]
From here on, traps would appear that couldn’t be cleared without the potion’s aid.
‘Traps where entire corridors become scorching hot like ovens, passages where gales blow so fiercely you can’t walk, floors that test the limits of your sanity with extreme frost—that sort of thing.’
No matter how high your stats were, you couldn’t endure elemental attacks at this level.
The environment was deliberately designed to force reliance on potions.
“Phew, shall I give it another try?”
I steeled my resolve and took another step forward.
I needed to climb at least to the 80th floor.
* * *
Since each floor had a different trap concept, the rewards varied by floor as well.
[As a reward, Flame Resistance permanently increases by 5%.]
[As a reward, Frost Resistance permanently increases by 5%.]
[As a reward, Wind Resistance permanently increases by 5%.]
From the 40th to 59th floors, the traps were all elemental-based.
As a result, the rewards granted permanent increases to elemental resistance.
After completing the 59th floor, I checked the resistances I’d accumulated so far.
‘My Flame Resistance increased by 35%, Frost Resistance by 35%, and Wind Resistance by 30%.’
There are two types of resistance.
General resistance, which prevents status ailments, and elemental resistance, which blocks elemental attacks like the ones above.
The Rainbow Effect that grants 50% resistance falls under general resistance.
It’s distinctly different from the elemental resistance I’d just obtained.
That’s why I was pleased.
‘Elemental resistance isn’t easy to raise.’
Items that increase elemental resistance are extremely rare.
Most people give up trying to find them and rely on potions instead.
In such circumstances, a permanent increase was nothing short of an extraordinary privilege.
‘Should I begin tackling the 60s floors now?’
From here until floor 79, monsters would appear again.
The monsters weren’t necessarily stronger, but they came in conjunction with traps, so a degree of caution was necessary.
‘I won’t be able to rush through like I did at first.’
Ryu Min, who needed to proceed carefully, advanced forward while gripping his scythe.
* * *
There was a reason Ryu Min had set his minimum goal at floor 80.
[You have cleared floor 79 of the Tower of Trials.]
[You receive ‘Rune Fragment of Stealth’ as a reward.]
[You will advance to the next floor in 10 seconds.]
Rune Fragment of Stealth.
At last, the item I desired had appeared.
Ryu Min used it immediately upon receiving it, inscribing it into his body.
[Rune of Stealth]
-Effect: When using invisibility, all traces—breathing sounds, footsteps, rustling clothes—are completely concealed.
You will not be detected by any external factor, whether detection spells or sensory perception.
Upon a successful attack while invisible, the cooldown of invisibility resets.
A smile spread across Ryu Min’s lips.
Now that I possessed the Rune of Stealth, perfect invisibility was finally possible.
‘I mustn’t be satisfied here. The real challenge still awaits.’
Having ascended to floor 80, Ryu Min took a moment to steady his breathing before pressing forward.
Now a grueling gauntlet awaited—a comprehensive collection of every trap he’d encountered thus far.
‘I still have about two hours left on the attribute potion, which should be enough to reach floor 99.’
It proved far more difficult than anticipated.
Various monsters and wind, rain, typhoons, frost, infernos—
He ascended through floor after floor, navigating every conceivable trap.
[You have cleared floor 83 of the Tower of Trials.]
[You have cleared floor 87 of the Tower of Trials.]
[You have cleared floor 92 of the Tower of Trials.]
…
…
…
‘Phew. No matter how many times I ascend, the path to floor 99 remains treacherous.’
Having reached floor 98, Ryu Min wiped the sweat from his brow.
Countless trials had stood in the way.
Floor 97, just the previous level, had even tested his mental fortitude with illusions.
Of course, thanks to the Rune of Mental Barrier, he’d passed through the illusions without issue.
‘Of all the floors so far, floors 97 and 98 were the easiest.’
Floor 98 had presented similar traps, so he’d simply walked through and cleared it.
The final 99th floor would not be conquered so easily.
[You have cleared the 98th floor of the Tower of Trials.]
[As a reward, your resistance permanently increases by 10%.]
[You will advance to the final floor in 10 seconds. Good luck.]
Soon, Ryu Min arrived at the 99th floor.
The final ordeal awaited him.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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