The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 248

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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 248
248. The Second Mission
Whoooosh—
The space that had been nothing but darkness suddenly blazed with light.
The people stood in a massive cavern large enough to accommodate two thousand.
“Phew, now I can actually see something.”
“Now my skills are working properly too.”
“But what’s the second mission anyway?”
“Black Scythe probably knows. From the way he was talking, he seems to know the strategy.”
“Why don’t you ask him?”
“N-no way. I’m not really curious. If you’re so curious, why don’t you ask?”
“I-I’m actually not that curious either.”
Despite their words, the people stole glances at Ryu Min from the corners of their eyes.
They were curious whether he knew about the second mission as well.
But they didn’t dare ask.
Ryu Min’s expression and aura felt ominous.
“His expression doesn’t look good.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Is the second mission really difficult?”
The people whispered among themselves, but Ryu Min wasn’t the only one who looked tense.
The Saesin Religion followers also waited for the next mission with worried expressions.
They already knew from Ryu Min.
This mission would force them to kill or be killed.
Moments later, the message everyone had been waiting for appeared.
[The second mission will now begin.]
【Second Mission】
└Kill each other from this moment forward.
└Within the 30-minute time limit, kill even one person to pass.
[The number of passers is half of all participants: 1,152 people.]
[When the time limit expires, all participants who have not passed will be annihilated.]
[Upon success, you may challenge the third mission.]
[Current survivors: 2,303]
[Time remaining until next mission: 00:29:59]
The eyes of those who read the mission widened in shock.
“K-kill each other?”
“Like in Round 4?”
Unpleasant memories surfaced in people’s minds.
The deadly Round 4 where they had killed and been killed to survive.
Gulp—
They swallowed hard and looked at the person next to them.
I could already see the murderous glint in people’s eyes.
We all kept our distance, watching each other warily.
‘Kill each other for thirty minutes… what kind of madness is this?’
‘Now I understand why Black Scythe’s expression hardened.’
Honestly, who would want to commit murder unless they were a deranged psychopath?
What benefit could there possibly be in taking someone’s life?
But now there was a clear incentive.
The right to survive.
By taking another person’s life, you could secure your survival.
Yet no one moved to act immediately.
Even so, it felt repugnant to raise a blade against another person.
‘Now they’re telling us to kill each other…’
‘What kind of ridiculous mission is this?’
Allies who had endured fourteen months together had become enemies in an instant.
Some hesitated, troubled by ethical and moral concerns.
‘Just close your eyes and do it.’
‘It’s unavoidable for survival, isn’t it?’
‘This world runs on stepping over others anyway. This is just another form of competition.’
Others rationalized that they had no choice but to kill.
While people exchanged nervous glances amid this discord, the Saesin Religion followers drew closer to one another.
It was because of Black Scythe’s orders from before.
-The second mission is to kill each other. I’m sure there will be brutal slaughter like in the fourth round. But don’t get swept up in the atmosphere and participate in murder. Don’t even draw your blades against each other. Simply gather with your fellow Saesin Religion members and observe the situation. If someone attacks first, you may kill them. But until then, observe the situation with me. Do not act until I give the signal.
Even if slaughter breaks out, do not act.
You may kill anyone who attacks first.
Trust and protect each other as comrades.
Stay still until I give the signal.
To carry out these four orders from Black Scythe, the followers trusted each other and stayed united.
Black Scythe’s command to observe first was reasonable, since no one knew what would happen.
There was also trust in Black Scythe.
But those outside the Saesin Religion were in agony.
“A-are we all just going to watch and do nothing? Shouldn’t we do something?”
Someone’s cry was met with a sharp retort.
“What do you suggest? Kill each other?”
“If we don’t kill, we all disappear. We have no choice but to kill.”
“If each of us kills just one person, the numbers work out perfectly.”
“Got yourself a math doctorate there.”
“Don’t be sarcastic. Do you have a better idea?”
“Me? I’ve got nothing.”
“Hey, what if we did a tournament instead?”
“A tournament? Are you out of your mind?”
“Listen. Aren’t you being too harsh about the Other World?”
“You need to make sense. So who decides the matchups then? Who’s going to fight Black Scythe?”
“Whoever the idiot who suggested this tournament fights him.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was stupid. So could you smart folks tell me? Does anyone have a better idea?”
“Black Scythe, you’d know. You understood the strategy for the first mission.”
“Black Scythe? Do you know the strategy for this mission too?”
“If you do, please tell us.”
All eyes in the room turned to Ryu Min, but I had no answer to give.
There was no way besides killing.
Ryu Min fell silent before speaking flatly.
“We have to kill them. What else is there?”
“….”
The players sighed inwardly, disappointed by the answer.
The more they thought about it, the more there was only one solution.
‘Is there really no choice but to kill…?’
According to the system, they could only kill each other.
Ten minutes passed before they realized it.
“We’re running out of time. Ten minutes have already passed.”
“If this continues, we’ll all disappear. Shouldn’t at least half of us survive?”
“Then why don’t you kill first!”
“That’s… a bit….”
A stalemate persisted.
Despite having experienced murder in Round 4, people couldn’t easily turn their blades on one another.
Rather, because they had endured that hell, countless hesitated.
In a way, they were no mere competitors—they were comrades who had survived life and death together for over a year.
‘Just as I expected, they’re all hesitating.’
I had already anticipated this stalemate.
It was the same in Round 4.
‘I need to break the deadlock.’
They had to kill each other.
To make that happen, I decided to use the Despair Cult.
My gaze fell on John Delgado in the distance.
‘Execute it.’
As I gave the signal, John Delgado nodded slightly.
And not long after.
Squelch—!
“Gahhh!”
A sickening sound of flesh being pierced echoed through the air.
Thud—!
All eyes turned to the man collapsed on the ground.
The first victim had fallen.
A follower of the Despair Cult, no less.
And the one who killed them was also.
“M-murder!”
“Look at that bastard! His nickname turned red!”
“What are you doing, killing your own believers?”
The nearby Despair Cult followers panicked.
While it was absurd that a believer had killed another believer, they remained ignorant.
They had no idea that John Delgado, their very cult leader, orchestrated it all.
From a distance, Ryu Min watched the murder scene unfold, twisting his lips into a smirk.
‘The followers listen to the Necromancer far better than I expected.’
John Delgado had met with a follower beforehand and made a single proposal.
When he gave the signal, kill one of the nearby followers.
In exchange, he would grant them not only the strategy for the next round but also a position equivalent to a cardinal.
‘I wondered if they’d actually fall for such temptation, but they all did?’
The amusing part was that it wasn’t just one or two followers who accepted the proposal.
Squelch—! Squelch—!
“Gack!”
“Ugh!”
The Despair Cult followers swung their blades against their own comrades.
Trusting only their cult leader’s promise, they unhesitatingly slew their fellow believers.
“Hehehehe, kyaaah!”
A follower laughing while killing another was pierced by a blade from yet another follower and fell dead.
That follower, too, was reduced to a corpse by another’s hand.
Such blood-soaked slaughter was unfolding among the Despair Cult followers.
All of them were fanatics mesmerized by John Delgado’s promises.
Squelch—! Squelch!
“Ahhh!”
“Kill them!”
As the followers suddenly began slaughtering one another, Berber could only stand bewildered.
“Why are you doing this! Why all of a sudden!?”
He never suspected there was scheming behind the scenes.
“Hey, you crazy bastards! What’s the point of attacking your own side!”
To him, the future cult leader, the Despair Cult followers were precious resources and military strength.
They shouldn’t die so wastefully.
But no matter how much he tried to stop them, they continued their blade work relentlessly.
Why were they suddenly fighting like this?
For him, who had planned to kill John Delgado and expand his power, it was utterly absurd.
Yet murder was not confined to the Despair Cult alone.
“Kill them!”
“You there, get over here!”
“Die! Die!”
Once the floodgates had opened, people hacked away at each other without hesitation.
Seeing members of the Despair Cult fighting amongst themselves, they figured they should join in quickly.
And in the midst of it all, they rationalized it as a necessary evil for survival.
‘Hmm.’
Amid the chaos, I observed the situation calmly.
The Saesin Religion followers also refrained from participating in the slaughter, watching from the sidelines.
They were following my instructions not to act hastily until I gave the order.
I watched the Quest progress window and waited for the right moment.
[Current Survivors: 2,102]
[Current Passers: 201/1,152]
…
[Current Survivors: 2,050]
[Current Passers: 253/1,152]
…
[Current Survivors: 1,991]
[Current Passers: 312/1,152]
…
As the number of survivors decreased, the number of passers increased, but I waited.
‘Not yet. A few more need to die.’
Though I remained composed, the Saesin Religion followers grew increasingly anxious as the passers climbed rapidly.
Shouldn’t they join in the killing soon as well?
If they just stood idle like this, wouldn’t there be a shortage of spots?
But the Saesin Religion followers trusted Black Scythe.
They waited eagerly for his command, and finally.
‘It’s time.’
The moment the passers exceeded 400, I gave the order with a glance.
To John Delgado.
‘Summon them.’
John, who happened to be looking my way, nodded and cast his corpse resurrection skill.
“Rise.”
Light emanating from the tip of his staff spread across the scattered corpses around us.
And then.
“Guuuuuuh….”
Hundreds of corpses rose like zombies.
Even those locked in frenzied combat stopped their blade work in shock at the sight.
Thud, thud, thud—
The Undead Servants, moving in formation like an army, turned toward.
“W-what are those things?”
“Come here, then?”
It was none other than the Saesin Religion.
They appeared ready to attack the Saesin Religion, where hundreds of soldiers had gathered.
‘In truth, they came to sacrifice their lives.’
Contrary to appearances, the Undead Servants had no intention of attacking the Saesin Religion.
They had simply come to die.
‘Killing corpses that were already dead would weigh less on the conscience than slaying the living.’
It was Ryu Min’s strategy—to exploit the fact that killing Undead Servants would register as a count.
Whoosh—
As John Delgado’s summoned creatures drew near, Ryu Min seized the moment and shouted.
“All members of the Saesin Religion! Kill those Undead Servants! One per person!”
Obeying the command proved effortless.
They were summoned creatures, not actual people.
Thud—! Thud—!
Moreover, they offered no resistance whatsoever and died willingly.
“Huh? Why aren’t they resisting?”
The confusion was brief.
Every member of the Saesin Religion’s eyes widened in shock.
‘Wait? This message is…?’
‘We killed Undead Servants, yet this appeared?’
When Ryu Min killed one of the nearby Undead Servants, he could see the same message the believers had witnessed.
[You have committed murder.]
[You have passed the second mission.]

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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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