The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 158
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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 158
158. Akashic Record
The moment Bael arrived on Earth, she surveyed her surroundings.
[I wondered where the signal came from, but it was here?]
The place she had arrived at was the Secret Cavern, the most concealed location in the Holy Empire.
It was the Altar where divine revelations were made.
Kallen, who had been crouching on the ground under the pressure of Ryu Min’s aura, suddenly lifted her head with relief.
[Y-you, Combat Angel!]
Watching Kallen rush forward and cling to her wings, Bael’s brow furrowed.
[Was it you who sent the distress signal?]
[Y-yes, that’s correct!]
Smack!
Bael shoved Kallen away with her wings.
[It’s unpleasant. Don’t cling so close. How pathetic—captured by a human and causing me such tedious trouble.]
[I-I’m terribly sorry.]
Kallen had no choice but to lower her head.
The Heavenly Realm was a strictly hierarchical society.
The mere fact that a ninth-rank angel had called upon a sixth-rank for help was already quite awkward.
In human terms, it was like a private calling upon a sergeant.
[Tsk, tsk. How shameful—beaten by a mere human.]
[I have no excuse….]
[Never mind.]
[Pardon?]
Bael smiled wickedly.
[Thanks to you, I get to play with a human. I was dying of boredom anyway.]
Bael’s gaze turned toward the center of the cavern.
She could see a human standing motionless, holding a scythe.
[Is that the human?]
[Y-yes! That’s right. Please just tear off his limbs!]
[Is that all? I should rip out his organs while he’s still alive and wrap them around his neck. Kehehehe.]
Bael, letting out a grotesque laugh, was already anticipating the moment.
The thought of the human’s agonized screams and blood and entrails flowing like juice filled her with delight.
Sleep had long since fled.
‘I’ll play with him, slicing off his limbs piece by piece.’
An inferior human could never be a match for a Combat Angel.
This remained true regardless of whether they were a Player who had inherited the System’s power.
‘If we’re about ten rounds in now, he’s probably around level 40?’
A level 40 human challenging her?
A snort escaped Bael’s nose involuntarily.
‘Unless he’s level 99, anything below that isn’t even worth fighting.’
He had presence, but it wasn’t particularly intimidating.
Swish—
Bael folded her wings and drew the sword from her waist.
Golden divine energy erupted from the blade.
It was [Holy Aura], a combat angel technique capable of cleaving through steel as easily as tofu.
[Listen, human. Is life so boring you wish to end it?]
“….”
[Not knowing your place, daring to lay hands on an angel. Should I assume you’re eager to die?]
Ryu Min withdrew four potions from his inventory instead of answering.
These were intermediate potions of Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and Luck that he’d received from Victor.
With the activation command ‘Use’, the potion’s contents seeped into Ryu Min’s mouth.
He felt no taste or sensation, but the messages told him everything.
[Strength increases by 8 for 24 hours.]
[Agility increases by 8 for 24 hours.]
[Intelligence increases by 8 for 24 hours.]
[Luck increases by 8 for 24 hours.]
All my stats had risen.
Crack—
It sounded like the thread of reason snapped somewhere.
Bael’s cheeks trembled violently.
[You dare sip potions before me….]
It seemed my display of composure had gotten under her skin.
A sigh escaped Ryu Min’s lips unbidden.
[You’re sighing?]
As if a sigh were all.
Ryu Min tapped his own head lightly.
“You angels really do have a problem up here, don’t you?”
[What?]
“How exactly are you educated in the Celestial Realm that you all look down on humans? Did you undergo some kind of brainwashing?”
[….]
Bael, finding this beneath further discussion, raised her sword.
She intended to sever his limbs one by one with her specialty—swift blade technique.
‘Then I’ll tear open his belly and pull out his organs one by one, displaying them before his eyes.’
There was no intention of a merciful death.
I would dismantle his limbs as painfully as possible, then use his screams as music while I played with him slowly before killing him.
[Human. Even in death, you’ll regret meeting me….]
Bael hesitated as she thrust her sword forward.
In an instant, the human’s body became translucent, and black energy flowed out, enveloping his entire form.
It was as if he were surrounded by black smoke.
His face was no longer visible.
‘What is that?’
Though I was a Grim Reaper, I knew little of players, so I could only feel bewildered.
‘The atmosphere is far from ordinary.’
Bael, sensing an instinctive danger, bounded forward to close the distance.
In moments like these, striking first was the answer.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
My aura-laden blade traced through the darkness like threads of light.
But there was no sensation of contact at the tip of my sword.
It was only then that Bael’s eyes widened in shock.
‘She dodged them all?’
In just over two seconds, I had aimed six thrusts at her upper body, yet she had evaded every single one.
‘It’s coincidence. It must be coincidence. It has to be coincidence.’
I needed to verify this once more to satisfy myself.
My blade’s tip moved, leaving a golden afterimage in its wake.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
‘She… she dodged all of them again?’
I was confident my speed rivaled even a 5th-rank Angel, so why?
Why couldn’t my blade land on this dark-haired human before me?
“Do you really not understand the reason?”
[What?]
“It’s simple.”
Ryu Min’s scythe flashed diagonally.
“I’m simply faster than you.”
Clang.
Bael dropped to her knees, her sword falling from her grip.
[Cough, cough…]
Golden blood flowed endlessly from the deep gash across her chest.
Thud—
A single blow.
That was all it took to bring down a 6th-rank Angel.
Kallen’s face drained of all color at the unbelievable sight.
‘A combat Angel… defeated without landing a single strike…’
From what Kallen understood, combat Angels were capable of facing even 99-level players at minimum.
Yet such a being had fallen so absurdly.
‘Could that human possibly be level 99?’
Kallen immediately shook her head, correcting her thoughts.
‘No, that’s impossible. In all of history, no player has ever reached max level by Round 10…’
“Hey.”
[…Yes?]
Kallen found herself responding in casual speech without realizing it.
“Call more.”
[M-more?]
“Yes. If you don’t want to die, hurry. I’m itching for a fight.”
[Y-yes.]
Kallen sent the distress signal again as instructed.
Along with a message requesting as many reinforcements as possible.
‘Please, just let this arrogant bastard die this time!’
With such fervent hope, she waited, and moments later, reinforcements arrived.
Five sixth-rank combat Angels.
Kallen’s face brightened as if nothing had happened.
‘Perfect! That should be more than enough to kill this insolent human….’
[Gaaahhh!]
[Kughghgh!]
[Kyaaahhh!]
At the sudden screams, Kallen’s expression hardened.
She couldn’t even see how many times the scythe had swung.
All she could see was golden blood spraying as the Angels fell pathetically.
“Are you joking? Call someone stronger. Now.”
At Ryu Min’s words, Kallen swallowed hard.
Now she realized this was no ordinary strong human.
* * *
The Akashic Record.
A trans-dimensional information collective where all events in the universe are recorded.
An Angel opened the doors to that vast library.
Crrreak—
Normally, no one could enter, but he possessed the qualifications to do so.
For he was one of the seven beings known as Archangels.
[Remiel, you’ve arrived?]
[Rubahi.]
Rubahi was the thought-form entity that managed and guarded the Akashic Record.
If the library were a building, he would be its librarian.
Thud—
Only after the doors closed did Remiel spread his wings and fly toward the center.
The infinite library, its walls filled with records of the entire universe, was a pleasant place for Remiel to pass the time.
[Have you come again today to peek at records from other worlds, Remiel?]
[Yes. Do you have any stories worth recommending?]
[There is one good story.]
Before Rubahi could finish speaking, a book came drifting down.
[It is a story that should interest you.]
[Is that so? Let me see what you have in mind.]
Remiel smiled as he examined the book’s title.
[Hmm? A record about someone called Black Scythe….]
Even though I didn’t know who it was, I was told it would be interesting, so I turned the page.
And soon enough, I could figure out who it was.
[Isn’t this person a human currently participating in a survival game on Earth?]
[Yes, that’s correct.]
[What’s so entertaining about some human’s story.]
[Read a bit further, sir. I’m certain you’ll find it captivating.]
Since Rubahi had never been wrong before, I reluctantly turned to the next page.
And it wasn’t long before my eyes widened in surprise.
[Quite the remarkable human. Level 89 with only 10 rounds completed? At this point in time, most players haven’t even reached Master rank.]
[That’s not all. Please continue reading.]
As I read the records written in the book, I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration repeatedly.
[Maintaining first place across All Districts from Round 1 until now? And what’s this? He’s rewritten the Akashic Record twice?]
The book bore inscriptions in golden runic script: a Time Attack record of 1 second and the conquest of Tower of Trials Floor 99.
[I’ve witnessed countless humans throughout the ages, but this is the first of his kind.]
[See? I told you it would pique your interest, didn’t I?]
Certainly, my curiosity was stirred.
But only slightly.
This alone wasn’t enough to truly captivate me.
[If this is all there is, I’m somewhat disappointed. He’s certainly an intriguing human, but the narrative lacks entertainment value.]
I flipped through the pages dismissively.
Black Scythe’s movements and growth process were meticulously recorded, but I skimmed through them without genuine interest.
[From what I can see, he’s achieved an extraordinary growth rate, already reaching level 89. At this pace, he appears to be a strong candidate for fulfilling the wish in Round 20.]
[Yet your eyes seem quite interested, despite what you’re saying?]
[Nonsense. Regardless of how the survival game concludes, it doesn’t benefit me in any way. Why would I care? Rubahi, you know my tastes well enough—I’m far more interested in the mating of goblins and human women than in some human like this.]
[What if you turned to the final page?]
[There’s no need to look.]
[I assure you, it will captivate you.]
At his persistent urging, I reluctantly turned the page as if I had no choice.
[Huh?]
My brow furrowed as I read what I hadn’t expected to see.
[What is this? He killed 15 combat Angels?]
[Yes. He’s the only player to have ever drawn a blade against the Angels.]
[Ha, the audacity of this insignificant human is laughable. Utterly absurd.]
At that moment, new text appeared on the page I was holding.
[One more Angel has just been added to the count.]
[You mean he’s currently engaged in combat?]
[It appears so.]
My forces are dying as we speak?
To a mere human?
I hadn’t known because I was inside the Akashic Record.
Connections to other worlds are severed in this place.
[Haha, what an amusing human.]
Intrigue stirred within me more than anger.
To actually harbor the intention to kill an Angel.
Thinking this human might be more entertaining than expected, Remiel moved his wings.
Fluttering—
[Are you leaving?]
[I must. My subordinates are being ground down like consumables. As an Archangel, I cannot simply stand by and allow this.]
Rumbling—
Remiel departed through the doorway.
Seven Archangels going to meet a human that a single First-Rank Combat Angel could handle?
It was something that should never happen under normal circumstances.
[See? I told you he’d find it intriguing, didn’t I?]
In the empty library, Rubahi murmured to himself.
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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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