The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 249

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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 249
249. The Third Mission
The Undead Servants shuffling forward like zombies fell pathetically to my blade.
Each time, the Saesin Religion followers had to be startled by the passage notification.
Ryu Min, who had already anticipated this, showed little surprise.
‘As expected, killing an Undead Servant that was once human registers as murder.’
Even though I had killed a summoned creature, the system judged it as murder.
It was the same when I killed the undead Angels back then.
‘I was shocked when the reward came through an extra time back then.’
Just like Ryu Min at that time, the Saesin Religion followers were wearing expressions of astonishment.
They probably never expected that defeating Undead Servants would count as a passage.
‘I didn’t know either. I really didn’t think it would work.’
I simply believed it would work this time since it applied to the Angels.
That’s why I came up with this strategy.
‘Originally, I had planned to just let them kill each other without any real strategy….’
But because I had the Necromancer as a card, I thought of this method.
Surely killing Undead Servants is better than killing people, isn’t it?
Thud— Thud!
“Krrgh!”
“Gaack!”
Hundreds of summoned creatures created by John Delgado vanished under the Saesin Religion’s attacks.
I watched this scene with satisfaction, but I didn’t know.
That Christine was watching me from behind with a strange glint in her eyes.
‘Why are John Delgado’s summoned creatures dying like that?’
When Christine first saw the horde of summoned creatures approaching, she had braced herself for battle.
She thought John Delgado had come to kill her again this time.
But the Undead Servants showed no intention of attacking.
Even someone without combat ability like herself could stab them to death with a sword.
That’s why she was even more shocked.
‘Why? Why are they coming and dying like that? It must be that John Delgado ordered them to attack the Saesin Religion…?’
Christine wasn’t the only one harboring doubts.
‘What the hell is that bastard doing!’
It was none other than Berber.
‘He’s wasting valuable summoned creatures!’
He couldn’t understand John Delgado’s actions.
The Despair Cult followers were already wiped out, which infuriated him, but then the cult leader raised corpses only to throw them away meaninglessly.
‘Damn it, I can’t just sit still like this.’
Berber moved stealthily.
‘I’ll kill the cult leader in this chaos and become the new leader of the Despair Cult.’
Though I’d have to start from scratch after losing all my followers, it doesn’t matter.
Believers can accumulate divine power gradually, can’t they?
Berber crept stealthily toward John’s back and hoisted his axe high.
‘Die.’
But before the blade could fall, something dropped with a thud.
‘What?’
Both his arms, still gripping the axe.
In his shock, he forgot even to scream—then he saw it: a winged spectral Undead Servant wielding a curved blade.
It was Sariel, the summoned creature John Delgado boasted as his strongest.
“Aaaaaahhhhh!”
Whether he screamed from seeing the Archangel or from the pain hardly mattered.
For John Delgado, nothing took precedence over punishing traitors.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice you eyeing the cult leader’s position?”
“Y-you bastard…!”
John Delgado let out a cold laugh and issued a merciless command.
“Kill him. Sariel.”
Before the words even finished, the curved blade swept past Berber’s neck.
Thud.
John Delgado watched the severed head fall with indifference, feeling a renewed gratitude toward his master.
Had it not been for Black Scythe’s warning, it would have been his own head rolling, not Berber’s.
From a distance, Ryu Min observed that John had survived unscathed and allowed himself a faint smile.
‘With this, the Despair Cult is completely annihilated. I’ve neutralized the variables as well.’
The only remaining variable was an attack from the Archangel, but since I couldn’t predict when it would come, I couldn’t afford to lower my guard.
Splash!
With the sound of a blade piercing flesh, the last remaining summoned creature fell.
Once all the Undead had vanished, Ryu Min asked the Saesin Religion believers:
“Is there anyone here who hasn’t passed through?”
The believers shook their heads without exception.
All four hundred members of the Saesin Religion had made it onto the survivor list.
“Lucky break. I didn’t expect killing Undead would count toward the quota.”
I’d even acted ignorant, so no one would suspect the truth.
That this entire operation had been orchestrated by me.
Just as the situation was settling down, someone’s voice rang out.
“Stop fighting now! We’ve reached the required number!”
Everyone’s eyes turned simultaneously toward the progress window.
[Current Survivors: 1,152]
[Current Passers: 1,152/1,152]
Survivors and passers matched perfectly.
Further killing had become meaningless.
Those who had no intention of killing more than two anyway lowered their weapons and withdrew.
‘Now only one thing remains.’
All I had to do was endure until the time limit expired.
Though I couldn’t let my guard down, since someone might suddenly rush at me again with murderous intent.
In the tense silence that followed, Christine still couldn’t shake her doubts.
‘What’s going on? I had no intention of attacking John Delgado’s summoned creatures. It’s as if they were telling us to kill ourselves and survive.’
Black Scythe had suggested we observe the situation, and conveniently, the summoned creatures rolled in at just the right moment.
Those creatures showed no intention of attacking either.
Could this really be a coincidence?
Christine shook her head as if brushing away her suspicions.
‘No. It can’t be. It’s ridiculous to think Black Scythe orchestrated this. It would be more plausible that he foresaw the future.’
Just as I cleared those useless thoughts from my mind, the time limit expired.
[The time limit has ended.]
[You have successfully completed the second mission.]
[Survivors: 1,152. Casualties: 1,151.]
[Congratulations! The third mission will begin shortly.]
Upon reading the message, Ryu Min immediately sought out Christine.
“You understand, don’t you? How crucial your role is in this third mission.”
“Yes… I do.”
Christine nodded, but Ryu Min caught the flicker of worry that crossed her face in that instant.
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you. Just focus on keeping your skill active. A thousand lives depend on your ability.”
“Ah, understood. Black Scythe. I won’t let you down.”
Only then did Christine’s eyes shine with resolve.
Even the Death God Cult followers who had heard about the mission beforehand swallowed hard and steeled themselves.
They had heard repeatedly that the third mission would be the most dangerous and difficult.
Of course, those who weren’t part of the Death God Cult waited for the message without particular concern.
Then it happened.
“Huh? What’s that?”
Countless green lines suddenly appeared on the floor of the cavern.
Short dashed lines, about shoulder-width apart, stretched horizontally across the space.
As people looked on in confusion, the awaited message appeared.
[Before revealing the third mission, please move to the green marked lines visible on the floor.]
[There are 1,152 marked lines, one for each survivor.]
“Marked lines?”
“I think we’re supposed to move over there?”
People moved without hesitation, following the instructions.
“Do we stand one person per line?”
“Oh? The line turned red when I stepped on it.”
“It’s like those parking lot guidance lights.”
As people stood on the marked lines, they turned red.
The countless green lines on the floor gradually transformed into red, one by one.
Some scrambled about frantically, searching for their positions.
Standing in that formation, the participants came to realize something.
They were lined up horizontally in a single row.
The moment the last person stepped onto the line, a message appeared as if it had been waiting.
[The third mission will now begin.]
【Third Mission】
└Endure the pain.
└Survive for 30 minutes. If you live, you pass.
[Every 2 seconds, projectiles dealing a fixed amount of damage will be fired from the front.]
[Each projectile is set to target one player.]
[As time passes, the damage from the projectiles will gradually increase.]
[Upon success, you will receive the round reward.]
[Current survivors: 1,152]
[Time remaining until round end: 00:29:59]
“What is this? Endure the pain?”
“We have to suffer through pain for 30 minutes?”
Their confusion lasted only a moment.
As if refusing to give them time to ask questions, projectiles came flying from ahead.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-crack!
Fired like bullets, they struck everyone’s chests.
Not a single person was spared—each hit with perfect accuracy.
“Ugh, wh-what was that just now?”
“Black bullets?”
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
Looking to see where they came from, the projectiles were being fired at regular intervals from the far side of the cavern.
As if bullets were being unleashed every 2 seconds.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
“We have to take this for 30 minutes straight?”
“It doesn’t hurt that much, but the feeling is unpleasant.”
Bullets arrived every 2 seconds, striking their chests.
It felt like standing in a line facing a firing squad.
The sensation was unpleasant, but not unbearable.
More like a slight sting from being hit by a pellet?
For tanks with high defense, it barely registered at all.
“This is nothing.”
“I think I can handle this.”
“Don’t be so sure. Things can turn bad quickly.”
“That’s right. Didn’t you hear the explanation? The damage increases over time.”
“Come on, if the damage is this light from the start, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“I’m a tank anyway, so I’m not concerned.”
Some worried, some felt reassured, some grew overconfident.
Though their reactions varied, there was one thing they all failed to understand in common.
Enduring pain was far more difficult than one might imagine.
‘Enduring pain is just another way of saying enduring torture.’
Right now, the damage was still light, so many felt confident. But once ten minutes passed, their expressions would change entirely.
‘They probably won’t even be able to whimper. After twenty minutes, they’ll be screaming for mercy.’
Imagine being pierced by an awl every two seconds.
No one could endure that for more than five minutes.
‘Five minutes alone means being stabbed one hundred fifty times. By twenty-five minutes, they’ll be nearly wiped out.’
Of course, that was only for those with ordinary armor.
A tank might last a bit longer, but even they couldn’t hold past thirty minutes.
‘Before that, people will start abandoning their positions from the pain.’
It’s quiet now, but just wait ten minutes.
People will start hiding behind others’ backs.
Then someone standing in front would have to take two hits instead of one.
Becoming an unwilling human shield.
‘Once that happens, friction naturally builds between them, and amid the hail of bullets, they’ll start brawling to kill each other. And as that unfolds, more and more people will follow suit and hide to save themselves.’
It becomes absolute chaos.
All it takes is ten minutes.
‘Round 15 isn’t called the extreme round for nothing. There’s a reason only fifty or fewer survive.’
Heo Tae-sik, Russell, Jo Yong-ho—none of them made it past Round 15.
Christine was no exception.
‘I happened to save her from John Delgado back in Round 11, but unfortunately she died here while helping others. When you cast wide-area healing, the caster becomes defenseless.’
The moment Christine died while healing, hundreds couldn’t hold on and perished.
Like a dam breaking, all at once.
After that, casualties multiplied as people used their allies as shields to survive.
Only those with defensive skills like Ma Gyeong-rok and An Sang-chul, along with other tanks and grand mages, managed to endure.
‘Without healing, this is impossible to clear.’
That’s why Christine is crucial this mission.
‘This time, the outcome will be different from last time. I’m determined to keep Christine alive no matter what.’
Had five minutes passed now?
As the damage became noticeable enough to irritate, people began using emergency treatment on themselves.
“Using emergency treatment helps a bit, doesn’t it?”
“Let’s all hold on together!”
“Can we even dodge this?”
“I tried, but it’s too fast to avoid.”
Faster than bullets, dodging was impossible.
You could block it by using someone else as a shield, though.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-crack!
Past eight minutes, the damage intensified once more.
People’s expressions twisted visibly.
Not even ten minutes had passed, yet I was already beginning to feel the strain of endurance.
That was when Christine’s wide-area healing commenced.
Whoooosh—
A verdant, sprout-like radiance enveloped my entire body in comforting warmth.
It was [Sanctuary], a massive area-of-effect healing-over-time skill that restored all players within a 500-meter radius.
“This… this is…”
“The pain is fading.”
“It’s a Priest’s skill!”
Because of the expansive range, all 1,152 players fell within the healing’s coverage.
Christine’s deliberate positioning at the center had contributed to this as well.
“Everyone, please stay in place and remain still! I will heal you all!”
Since it was a healing-over-time effect, recovery occurred with each passing second.
The pain dissolved as if washed away.
The healing amount was naturally far superior to anything like emergency treatment.
Though the players had grown calm, Christine’s complexion—that of the caster herself—was far from well.
She had excluded herself from the healing’s range.
“Ugh, it hurts…”
“Don’t worry.”
A gentle light enveloped Christine’s wounds.
“I will protect you.”
Ryu Min’s hand, standing beside her, touched Christine’s back.
The healing she received from his temporary skill rapidly mended her injuries.
Though the pain vanished, Christine had no mind to spare for such trivial matters.
‘What… what do I do…”
Her heart was pounding so fiercely it felt as though it might burst.

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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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