The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 250

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

The Maxed-Out Player’s 100th Return – Episode 250
250. Shield Wall
‘Why should she feel embarrassed?’
Whether Christine was embarrassed or not, I focused solely on protecting her.
If she fell, thousands of others would fall with her.
‘We’ll probably be wiped out in a few minutes without her.’
That’s why the healer is so critical in this round.
Other players seemed to realize this too, as several sent grateful nods toward Christine.
Some even spoke directly to her.
“You’re the one providing healing right now, aren’t you?”
“Thank you, Krishi.”
“Are you the healer? Your recovery power is incredible!”
She had no time to respond.
If she lost focus or willingly stopped, the Sanctuary skill would be interrupted.
Reactivating it after interruption required a 30-minute cooldown.
‘That’s why Christine’s role is so vital.’
With the resolve to protect her at all costs, I channeled healing into her back.
“Um, Black Scythe?”
“What?”
“Could you move your hand from my back…?”
“Placing my hand directly on areas close to the wound accelerates regeneration significantly. Didn’t you know?”
“Oh…?”
Even Christine, a healer herself, widened her eyes in surprise.
“Thank you for the tip.”
“Then stop worrying about trivial matters and focus your mind.”
“Y-yes…”
She answered, but Christine remained flushed with embarrassment.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
“Ugh!”
“Gah!”
Around fifteen minutes in, groans echoed from all directions.
The intensity of pain had clearly escalated—everyone could feel it.
Whoooosh—
But the moment Sanctuary washed over them, their expressions became serene.
Without Christine’s healing, they would have collapsed and lost consciousness at this stage.
The same applied to Christine, who received my healing.
‘The pain… vanished as if washed away.’
Christine, startled, turned to me beside her.
“Black Scythe, you’re using an emergency treatment skill right now, aren’t you? Why is it so effective?”
“It’s not emergency treatment. It’s healing.”
“Huh? Healing?”
‘It’s not ordinary healing, thanks to the Rune of Radiance.’
Healing is a holy-type skill.
Since the Rune of Radiance nearly doubles the efficacy of holy-type skills, the recovery potency would be exceptional.
‘Moreover, Christine is timing her heals to match the moment I take damage, so I won’t even have time to feel the pain.’
It was a way to minimize suffering in its own right.
Other players had to endure the cycle of pain and recovery without such luxury.
“Ugh, it hurts more than I expected?”
“Still, with the healing, it’s bearable.”
“We’ll clear this mission easily thanks to Krishi, our healer.”
“Just fifteen more minutes, everyone!”
Voices of encouragement echoed throughout, steeling their resolve.
I could hear the confidence in their voices—they believed they could clear this.
There was definitely progress being made.
If Christine’s healing continued like this, the damage could be offset.
But my expression wasn’t nearly as optimistic.
The damage escalates absurdly as time goes on.
‘Even continuous healing won’t help. The incoming damage is far too severe.’
From the three-minute mark onward, damage that makes recovery seem futile arrives every two seconds.
By then, people won’t be able to maintain this composure.
Even with healing.
‘This round was designed with the premise of receiving healing in the first place. That’s why it’s called enduring pain.’
Especially in the final ten seconds, damage arrives that’s simply unmanageable.
Even with healing, the majority will have no choice but to die from the damage.
‘Unless you wear defensive equipment as strong as mine or consume multiple potions, there’s no way to survive.’
Currently wearing Thanatos’s Black Armor, I’m deflecting bullets at an impressive 88% rate.
Normally it’s 67%, but the five-set effect combined with Russell’s equipment enhancement buff increased the option by 1.32 times.
‘Since most bullets are deflected, I’m taking almost no damage… but.’
Others will soon experience hell.
When I first cleared Round 15, I nearly lost consciousness myself.
It’s not like being stabbed with an awl—it’s more like being slashed with a sword.
‘No one else will survive those final ten seconds. Not unless I stop it.’
I recalled an item in my inventory.
The Elixir of Regeneration I received in Round 8.
‘If I were alone, it wouldn’t matter, but I need this elixir to save others.’
To reach Round 20, I need to keep as many people alive as possible.
It will come with tremendous pain, but I can bear this much sacrifice.
[Time remaining until round end: 00:09:58]
Twenty minutes had already passed.
Just ten more minutes to endure, yet screams of desperation were already echoing.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!
“Aaahhh!”
“Ah, it hurts!”
A sharp, piercing pain bloomed and faded like an awl driving through flesh.
Under normal circumstances, the damage would have been unbearable, but with healing every second, it was manageable to some degree.
Of course, those with weaker mental fortitude were already on the verge of losing consciousness.
“Ugh….”
“Hold on, Krishi. No matter what happens, you can’t lose consciousness.”
“Yes….”
Christine gritted her teeth and endured, but not everyone possessed her mental strength.
“Aaahhh!”
When one man subtly shifted his body behind another’s back, the person in front had to take two bullets meant for him instead.
“Hey, hey! What are you doing? Aaahhh! Why won’t you move to the side? Ugh!”
“I apologize. It hurts too much, so I’ll rest for a moment.”
“Get back in position now! Aaahhh!”
Taking one bullet versus two was naturally different—the damage disparity was significant.
But as if indifferent to such concerns, the man abandoned his position and used another person as a shield to protect himself.
‘Heh, this doesn’t even hurt—it’s a sweet deal. I should’ve done this from the start….’
The man’s thoughts never continued further.
A winged specter materialized before his eyes and severed his neck.
Thud—
The man collapsed as a corpse without even leaving final words.
In that instant, the bullets meant for him vanished.
The expression of the person who had been shielding him eased considerably.
Watching this, Ryu Min’s lips curved upward.
‘Well done, John Delgado.’
Beforehand, Ryu Min had issued orders to John Delgado.
If anyone attempted to desert, he was to slit their throat without hesitation.
‘In a situation like this, using another person as a shield just to save yourself? Such trash doesn’t deserve to live.’
It was better to eliminate such vermin early.
They only created obstruction and sowed chaos.
“Hey! Come back!”
“Because of you, I’m taking two bullets!”
“What are you doing behind me…!”
Slash—!
Slash—!
Slash—!
As more people attempted to desert, Sariel found them and swung his curved blade.
Overwhelmed by the sight of that angel of death, the others watched tensely, but Sariel simply turned away in silence.
As if to say he would spare those who did not desert.
By the time roughly a hundred corpses had accumulated in the Cavern.
People no longer dared to break formation.
They didn’t huddle behind their neighbors anymore.
Unless they were a fool, they couldn’t help but notice.
That the reaper wielding the curved scythe would behead anyone who attempted to flee.
‘It’s working.’
As Sariel circled like an overseer, people gritted their teeth and endured.
No more deserters emerged.
[00:05:08]
Tick—
[00:04:32]
Tick—
[00:03:28]
Tick—
They held their ground until three minutes remained, but now it would become impossible.
Because now the agony of death would begin.
“Everyone, listen carefully to what I’m about to say!”
Ryu Min shouted toward the crowd.
Though they could see nothing but the person beside them, they turned their attention to Black Scythe’s voice.
“Anyone who wants to live, form a single line behind me! You must line up in perfect single file!”
“Single file?”
“As you know, I’ve already cleared this mission. If you want to survive, I ask for your cooperation!”
As people stood frozen, Ryu Min barked at them.
“What are you doing? Move now!”
There was no need to ask why.
These were the words of none other than Black Scythe.
There was no reason to dismiss them lightly.
Whoooosh—
The crowd organized itself into a single line without hesitation.
They used Black Scythe as a shield, but Sariel made no move.
As if choosing not to intervene.
‘Spectral undead are immune to physical damage, but that doesn’t mean they can block bullets.’
Therefore, Sariel’s role ended here.
Now I had to shield them with my own body and protect the others.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!
As the crowd formed a single line, the angle of fire converged on one point.
Toward Ryu Min at the very front.
Ting-ting-ting-ting-ting—!
But with an 88% probability, most of the bullets ricocheted harmlessly away.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—!
I erected a barrier using dark runes, deflecting hundreds of bullets in the process.
My eyes fixed on the timer displayed in the progress window.
[Time Remaining Until Round 5 Ends: 00:00:28]
Only thirty seconds remained.
Glancing back, the line still hadn’t formed properly.
Getting a thousand people to line up single-file took far longer than anticipated.
“Christine!”
“Yes?”
“We’re out of time. Get behind me, now.”
“But then the sanctuary will….”
“Forget it—hide your body, quickly!”
The person behind me yielded their spot, and Christine squeezed through.
With her movement, the sanctuary’s healing effect severed.
Thud—thud—thud!
Dozens of bullets from the hundreds fired embedded themselves in my body.
The pain was excruciating, but I kept my expression unchanged, using healing magic to mend the wounds.
‘I must consume the elixir at precisely the right moment. Otherwise, I won’t survive.’
Christine, standing behind me, placed her hand on my back and cast healing magic as well.
Desperately hoping Black Scythe would survive.
‘Please, hold on.’
Finally, all the players succeeded in forming a single line.
As a thousand people stretched out in a line, every attack converged on me.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
I deployed a dark barrier, but it shattered almost immediately.
Ting-ting-ting-ting-ting-ting!
My black armor deflected most of the bullets, but roughly a hundred rounds still pierced through my body.
‘Ugh, not yet… not yet.’
Seventeen seconds, sixteen, fifteen….
Just a bit more, just a bit more.
I had to consume the elixir precisely when ten seconds remained.
A single second too late, and I would perish.
‘The damage spikes dramatically when ten seconds are left.’
The crowd still didn’t understand why Black Scythe was taking the hits.
They simply moved as instructed, trusting without question.
But when the final ten seconds arrived, the thousand people finally understood.
Why Black Scythe was shielding them instead.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
Hearing the deafening explosion of the intensified bullets sent chills down their spines.
Had I taken that hit, I wouldn’t have survived.
Everyone thought the same, their worry mounting.
I wondered if Black Scythe, who had to take that barrage in my stead, would emerge unscathed.
Would there be anything left of him, or would he simply vanish without a trace?
Fortunately, my fears never materialized.
I had timed the elixir’s activation perfectly with the moment the bullets were fired.
[You have used ‘Elixir of Transcendent Regeneration’.]
[For 10 seconds, your regenerative power increases exponentially.]
The moment the message appeared, the darkness bullets hammered into my body.
My skin tore and my organs were battered, yet the wounds sealed themselves as if nothing had happened.
The transcendent power of regeneration repaired every injury with pristine efficiency.
Thwakakakakakakakakang—!
Even with a hundred bullets embedded in me, I remained unmoved.
Thwakakakakakakakakang—!
I had become a human shield, absorbing the barrage meant for others with my entire body.
I summoned a barrier of darkness, but it proved useless.
The bullets pierced through it as easily as shattering glass and embedded themselves in my flesh.
Yet they never penetrated all the way through.
The regeneration healed me faster than the bullets could bore through.
[Time remaining: 8 seconds.]
[Time remaining: 7 seconds.]
…
…
The elixir’s remaining duration ticked away, though I barely registered it.
Ten seconds felt like an eternity.
Grit—
I clenched my teeth and endured the agony.
Even as the pain threatened to steal my consciousness, I held firm to my sanity.
I persevered through sheer superhuman willpower.
Thwakakakakakakakakang—!
My body regenerated, but the pain remained entirely mine to bear.
Ten seconds felt like ten hours.
I prayed for time to pass faster.
I had no confidence I could endure much longer.
‘No—I cannot collapse yet.’
I steadied my wavering resolve and weathered the relentless barrage with my body.
With my mind.
Thwakakakakakakakakang—!
The final bullet attempted to riddle my entire body with holes, but failed.
As the wounds closed, a message reached me.
[The Elixir of Transcendent Regeneration has expired.]

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