The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 236

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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 236
236. Special Rules
[Have you been waiting long? If you’re ready, let’s begin the game now!]
As Angel’s voice rang out, a message materialized before us.
[Wave 1]
[4,608 Players vs 9,216 Skeletons]
[The next wave will begin in 30 minutes.]
“Skeletons?”
The players who saw their opponents burst into derisive laughter.
“Easy mobs for a first round.”
Even with nearly ten thousand skeletons arrayed before them, the players showed no fear.
Would a cat ever cower before mere mice, no matter how many?
In times past, perhaps—but now these skeletons were nothing more than rodents before a feline.
Not a single player among them fell below Master rank.
“Skeletons as our opponents?”
“What do they take us for?”
“Even if three times—no, five times our numbers in these pathetic bone-bags appeared, we’d handle them without breaking a sweat.”
The crowd sneered as though facing mere goblins, but Ryu Min’s expression remained unmoved.
He knew this was far from the end.
And indeed it was.
[To maintain balance, special rules will be applied for 30 minutes.]
[The special rules for Wave 1 are now revealed.]
【Special Rule: Skeletons receive 70% reduced physical damage.】
As the new message appeared, the players’ faces drained of color.
“What—what is this message!?”
“Skeletons take 70% reduced damage?”
“This is insane!”
“Nobody said anything about rules like this!”
In other words, creatures that would die in one hit now required three.
Unremarkable bone-bags were instantly fortified into diamond-hard skeletons.
Unlike the panicked masses, Ryu Min and the Saesin Religion followers bore expressions of those who already knew.
‘This is what the Angels were after—to see the players’ bewilderment.’
They were probably giggling in Heaven at the sight, but it mattered little to me.
‘Even if they reduced damage by 99%, skeletons would still fall in one blow.’
As Ryu Min gazed confidently forward, the monsters materialized.
Crackle—crackle—
Thousands of skeletons suddenly filled the Grassland.
The players faltered under the oppressive weight of their presence, but only for a moment.
“Don’t let these trash mobs intimidate us!”
“Let’s go!”
“Uaaaaaaah!”
Was it wounded pride that they’d cowered before mere skeletons?
The players clashed with the skeletons, brimming with confidence.
Boom-boom-crack! Boom-crack!
Clang! Clang!
Crash! Crack!
All manner of skills flew between the monsters and players.
There was no need to worry about allies taking damage.
Since they were in a party, they couldn’t sustain any damage anyway.
“Since we can’t hurt each other, don’t hold back—attack with everything you’ve got!”
Confidence ran high, but the skeletons proved far more durable than expected.
The bones I’d thought would shatter in one blow withstood two, three strikes under the special rules.
And with each counterattack, the players found themselves in dire straits.
“These bastards won’t die to a single basic attack!”
“This is ridiculous!”
It took a skill to kill them in one hit.
But only the melee dealers panicked.
The mages in the rear were at ease.
“Fireball incoming! It’s hot, so be careful… wait, there’s no need to be careful, right?”
Boom-boom-boom-crack!
To them, the skeletons were nothing more than trash mobs.
The damage reduction only applied to physical damage.
‘In other words, this wave is perfect for the mages to boost their contribution.’
Ryu Min grinned and swung his scythe toward the charging skeletons.
Boom-crackle-crackle-crack!
Twenty skeletons turned to bone dust with a single swing.
It was possible because I’d greatly expanded the area of [Thanatos’s Black Scythe], a god-tier weapon.
“W-what just passed by?”
“It whooshed and turned everything to powder?”
The players who looked back could finally see it.
Ryu Min’s scythe, now massively enlarged, swept across the battlefield like a giant’s hand.
Boom-crunch-crunch-crunch!
Boom-crackle-crackle-crackle!
Boom-crackle-crackle-crack!
Dozens of skeletons were swept away with each swing.
Ten swings and hundreds were gone; a hundred swings and thousands had vanished.
“Is the damage reduction actually being applied?”
“They’re just getting wiped out in one hit?”
“That means the damage is insane.”
“Huh…”
Some players could only watch as the skeletons were cleaned up, their faces blank with disbelief.
It was such an absurd sight—so overwhelmingly dominant that it made them forget the battle itself.
[Time until next wave: 00:24:20]
[Remaining monsters: 97]
Players who opened the quest window were dumbfounded.
Only five minutes had passed, yet nearly a hundred monsters were already gone.
Crack—!
Even those remaining were cleared in less than five seconds.
[No monsters remain in the Field.]
[Fallen players: 0]
[Please wait for the next wave.]
The skeletal fragments scattered across the Grassland vanished without a trace.
The Grassland, now clean as if swept, held only players standing with hollow laughter.
“How many did you take down?”
“I only managed five…”
“Wow, that’s more than me. I think I got three?”
“Black Scythe probably took half the monsters alone?”
“First place in contribution is guaranteed again this time.”
“We’re a party anyway… couldn’t you leave us some?”
Leaving the murmuring players behind, Ryu Min found Min Ju-ri.
“There you are. Seo A-rin too.”
“Ah… Black Scythe.”
Surprise filled the faces of both Min Ju-ri and Seo A-rin.
“That was incredible. Taking down so many all by yourself…”
“It’s nothing. Anyway, I came to get some buffs.”
“Oh! I should have gone to find you. Let me cast them right away.”
Min Ju-ri applied a three-part buff set to Ryu Min.
In truth, buffs weren’t necessary—he was already strong enough. But one never knew what might happen.
‘The Archangel might appear again like last time.’
Ryu Min received the buffs in advance, preparing to use the Demon’s Blessing if needed.
After another twenty-five minutes passed, the second wave began.
[2nd Wave]
[4,608 Players vs 9,216 Gargoyles]
[The next wave will begin in 30 minutes.]
[Special rules will be applied for 30 minutes to adjust balance.]
[The special rules for the 2nd wave are now revealed.]
【Special Rule: Gargoyle movement speed increased by 2x.】
This time, the monsters were gargoyles—creatures considered weaker than skeletons.
‘But if their movement is twice as fast, that changes everything.’
There’s a saying that offense is the best defense, but truthfully, the best defense is simply to evade.
If you don’t get hit in the first place, you take zero damage, and being fast means you can attack your opponent first.
In other words, underestimating a doubling of movement speed will cost you dearly.
‘The mages will struggle this time too. A gargoyle with buffs can evade magic attacks with ease.’
If mages are having a hard time, melee dealers don’t even need to be mentioned.
How could fighting flying monsters be anything but difficult?
Of course, none of this applied to Ryu Min.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Kek!”
As I swung my scythe at the flying gargoyles, dozens of them fell dead.
Even when they flew higher to evade my attacks, it was futile.
“Area Burst.”
Zzzzzzzzzt—!
Every gargoyle within a 30-meter radius crumbled to dust without leaving a trace of hide.
‘With the Lightning Rune, they’re easy to deal with.’
Attacks using the Darkness Rune were quite effective as well.
Boom boom boom boom!
Dark projectiles flew like throwing knives, piercing through the gargoyles’ heads without giving them a chance to escape.
As a result, clearing out roughly ten thousand gargoyles took less than five minutes.
“Excuse me, how many did you kill?”
“Zero…”
“So I’m not the only one who couldn’t catch any…”
“Do we even need to be here?”
“Looks like we’ll be standing around doing nothing for another 25 minutes.”
The players sighed quietly at Ryu Min’s monopolization of the contribution points.
Thanks to Black Scythe, they cleared dungeons easily, but at this rate, they might face elimination themselves.
‘I’ve handled almost everything up through the second wave.’
At this rate, first place in contribution was as good as mine.
‘If I take it easy from here on and step in during the crucial tenth wave, I can seal the deal.’
With that thought, I turned my head.
I saw many familiar faces in my line of sight.
Min Ju-ri, Seo A-rin, Christine, Jeffrey, Yamtti, Ju Sung-tak, Heo Tae-sik, Um Jun-seok, Jo Yong-ho, and more.
And also various nationalities of Death God Cult followers who had recently joined.
They had all gathered here after hearing my instruction to assemble by the end of the second wave.
“As promised, everyone’s here. Since we’re a party, fighting together would be safer and more efficient.”
Everyone focused on my words.
“As I announced, I’ve handled almost all of the first and second waves. However, starting from the third wave, I won’t step in and will leave it to you. Even I’m not so heartless as to steal your share.”
The followers who had already heard the strategy in reality nodded their heads.
“I’ll just handle any monsters that look particularly dangerous while observing the situation. So focus on building up your contribution points with confidence. That’s all I can do for you. Whether you get eliminated or not is up to you. Understood?”
“Yes!”
After their resounding affirmation, I took a rest.
There are still many waves ahead, but my allies won’t be eliminated.
They’re talented and skilled enough to survive.
“Black Scythe.”
Then a familiar face approached me.
“Victor, Russell, Sophia.”
Victor, the alchemist, and Russell, the blacksmith, had come to find me.
Sophia, Victor’s younger sister, was with them as well.
“What brings you here?”
“We wanted to give you some newly crafted potions.”
“Potions?”
Victor pulled out a bundle of potions from his inventory.
“Since I reached Master rank, these potions are far more effective than the ones I gave you before.”
They were advanced potions that increased stats by 16 each.
“Thank you. They’ll be very useful.”
“Don’t mention it. Compared to the grace of you saving us, this is nothing. Hehe.”
Victor laughed, and Sophia gazed at me with eyes full of affection and respect.
Of course she’d look at me that way—I’d saved her brother from danger.
Then Russell spoke to me.
“Black Scythe, I see you’ve changed your weapon. Would you mind if I took a closer look? I’ll cast some buffs for you.”
“Sure.”
Russell placed his hands on my weapon and armor, casting buffs.
Reading his thoughts, it seemed he’d come solely to apply these buffs.
‘What have I even done to have so many people seeking me out like this…’
Memories of my previous cycles suddenly surfaced.
The image of myself struggling alone through dozens of regressions.
‘Compared to then, I’ve really gained so many allies.’
I let out a small, involuntary laugh.
“Well, I’ve given you everything, so I’ll be heading out now.”
“Oh, wait. While you’re here, why don’t you join the Death God Cult?”
“The Death God Cult?”
“Cult Leader Heo.”
“Yes!”
As Heo Tae-sik rushed over, I introduced them with a smile.
“These are people who’ve helped me. Explain the Death God Cult to them and help them join if they wish.”
“Understood. It won’t take long. Please come this way…”
The three readily agreed to join after hearing the explanation.
It was only natural—they held nothing but goodwill toward me.
‘Now all my acquaintances have joined the Death God Cult.’
From now on, I could look after them every round because of the Death God Cult.

* * *
Following the trolls came Blood Orcs, golems, minotaurs, and High Orcs.
Various monsters appeared in escalating waves, yet not a single player suffered injury.
They had Black Scythe as their ultimate shield.
“Screeeech!”
The High Orc that had emerged as the Round 5 boss crumpled helplessly under the players’ coordinated assault.
Master-tier players who had endured countless battles could dismiss even a High Orc as beneath their notice.
“Wow! We’ve finally reached the tenth wave!”
“What could the final wave be?”
“Black Scythe, do you know anything about it?”
“All I can tell you is not to step forward.”
After offering the followers a brief word of caution, Ryu Min prepared for the final wave.
‘Now I need to ready myself to complete the sub-quest.’
I’d managed to clear the first nine waves through sheer determination, but the tenth wave wouldn’t yield so easily.
Not even for someone like me.
‘That’s why I chose the invincibility skill as my special reward.’
It didn’t necessarily mean the opponent was strong enough to require invincibility.
But given the danger involved, I was resolved to face it personally as planned.
‘Yet the Archangel hasn’t shown themselves?’
Even amidst the chaos of battle, I expanded my senses and focused my awareness on my surroundings.
Still, the Archangel showed no signs of appearing.
‘They’re definitely not the type to back down like this…’
Or perhaps they sensed the danger and were devising a strategy instead?
A tactical retreat to advance further?
‘Impossible to say. But I can’t afford to let my guard down until the very end.’
I needed to decisively handle the tenth wave and complete the sub-quest.
With that thought, I turned my head and spotted a man hastily avoiding my gaze.
‘What’s he doing? Wait.’
I examined the man playing dumb more carefully.
That username seemed oddly familiar.
‘The username is… Simple Mukbang?’

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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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