The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 308

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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 308
308. The Qualifications of a Demon
‘Damn it, damn it, damn it!’
I swallowed curses one after another.
Because there was someone standing before me whom I couldn’t curse at openly.
‘When did he appear? How did he find my location?’
Having trained a player from another dimension, I already knew that tracking skills existed.
And how they functioned as well.
‘He may know my name, but he’s never seen this face before, has he?’
The face I showed at Demon King’s Castle was different from my current one.
Because of that, I was certain it wouldn’t be easy for Black Scythe to find me.
It was like searching for a needle in a desert.
‘Yet I’ve been caught anyway….’
My panic soon settled into composure.
It wasn’t the sight of Vasago’s cold corpse that restored my reason.
It was resignation.
Because I knew that escaping Black Scythe was nearly impossible.
“Don’t be afraid. I just want to talk.”
At the word ‘talk,’ I snorted derisively.
[Hmph, don’t mock me. Who wouldn’t know you came for revenge on my comrades?]
“That won’t work. As expected of a Demon Realm ruler, you’re perceptive. So you’ll surrender your neck willingly.”
He approached with a sinister smile, and I panicked.
[W-wait. Stop! Didn’t you just say you wanted to talk with me?]
“I am talking right now.”
[Y-you’re acting like you’re going to kill me, but….]
‘I’ve already heard everything worth hearing.’
Unaware that I’d already read his true intentions and extracted all the information I needed, I spoke with a flustered expression.
[You want information? I’ll tell you!]
“There’s a condition, isn’t there? Probably you’ll offer information about Artaros in exchange for your life.”
[Y-you know well! So….]
“Not interested.”
At this unexpected response, I couldn’t find words for a moment.
“If I needed information, would I be trying to kill you like this?”
[Ah, you’ll regret not listening!]
“That’s your regret to have.”
Though I remained silent, my instincts were sharp.
Sensing he truly meant to kill me, I drew forth the Whip of Flames.
[There’s no helping it! I’ll make you my companion to the Underworld… Cough!]
Before I could even swing the whip, Ryu Min’s scythe pierced through my heart and returned.
“No need for long words. You just need to die.”
‘I wonder what kind of reward I’ll get.’
I know well that killing Demon Tribe members yields no rewards.
Even after eliminating every high-ranking demon in the Other World with the Rune of Light Speed, not a single point of experience entered my account.
Yet I couldn’t help but harbor expectations.
‘Since it’s a Demon Archduke, something should drop.’
However, contrary to my hopes, no reward appeared.
The Demon Archduke was an outsider who should never have existed in this place.
My face grew cold rapidly.
‘How disappointing. It was worse than a monster.’
At least monsters drop gold and experience—the Demon Archduke offered neither.
‘Perhaps it’s only natural? It should be the same as with Angels.’
Angels aren’t beings meant to yield rewards when killed.
The enormous rewards come from the Demon’s Blessing; without it, not even a handful of experience would enter my account, just like now.
“Tch. Worthless bastard.”
My disappointment was genuine, but I had overlooked one crucial fact.
The Demon Archduke was undeniably an existence wielding Divine Being-class influence.
As if to tell me not to despair prematurely, a message arrived.
[Confirmed: You are the first player to have slain a being of divine essence.]
[You have acquired the title ‘Godslayer’.]
[As a reward for slaying a Divine Being, ‘Refined Ether’ has been obtained.]
My eyes widened at the messages that appeared.
‘A title and Refined Ether?’
Phlunikthos’s true form is of the Demon Tribe, but he is undeniably an existence that inherited the power of Divine Beings.
It seems that fact was recognized as slaying a Divine Being.
After suppressing my shock, I examined the title with a delighted expression.
[Title – Godslayer]
-Acquisition Condition: Obtained upon defeating a being of divine essence for the first time.
-Effect: All stats increase 2x when facing beings of divine essence.
Now my stats would double when facing gods.
They would also double when facing divine-natured beings.
‘That means when I face Artaros, my stats will increase by a total of 4x, doesn’t it?’
Now I had confidence that I wouldn’t fall short even if I met Artaros.
I would be able to overwhelm him in raw stats.
‘I’ve obtained Refined Ether, an Eternal material. If I just craft a weapon with this, I’ll have all my Eternal equipment matched.’
However, I didn’t expect to be able to craft anything with just one.
As always, weapons demanded two ethers.
I was satisfied with the fact that I only needed one more to craft a weapon, but the rewards didn’t end there.
【Soul Bond Quest】
└Slay a God
└Current Divine Beings Slain (1/4)
└On success ▶ ?????
[The Gauntlet of Souls absorbs the spirit of the Divine Being it has slain.]
[The spirit ‘Phlunikthos’ has been stored in the gauntlet.]
[Extracting the abilities of spirit ‘Phlunikthos’…]
[…Extraction successful!]
[You have learned a new temporary skill ‘Qualification of the Demon Tribe’!]
[Temporary Skill – Qualification of the Demon Tribe]
-Effect: Chant an incantation for 10 seconds, and you can warp to the Demon King’s Castle in the Demon Realm from anywhere at any time.
If you’re holding another target during the warp, they move with you, and you can also return in the same manner.
Additionally, you can easily discern the desires and dark intentions of others, and while possessing this skill, you receive treatment equal to that of a noble in the Demon Realm.
‘Hmm, I didn’t expect to gain a skill like this.’
Thanks to the Eternal equipment, the Gauntlet of Souls, I obtained a skill I never anticipated.
‘The Demon Realm… that’s the place I saw in Round 18, right?’
I wanted to go immediately, but the next message caught my attention instead.
[You can now communicate with the spirit stored in the gauntlet.]
[Communication with the spirit can be blocked or altered at your discretion, and you can annihilate the spirit if desired.]
‘I can actually converse with the Demon Archduke?’
The physical body had rotted away, but it seemed the spirit could be extracted.
-Is this how we talk, Phlunikthos?
-This voice is…? Black Scythe?
The fact that he remembered my voice made me smile wryly.
-This actually works?
-Black Scythe! What’s happening? Where is this place?
-Where is it?
-Everything is sealed off by damned light. It looks like some kind of prison of radiance.
-Is that so? I can’t see it, so I’m not sure.
-You’re the one who locked me here! What did you do to me!
I shrugged my shoulders.
-I don’t know either. I just stabbed you to death, and this happened.
-Free me at once! Let me out of here! Now!!
-Ugh, you’re so damn annoying.
Annoyed, I had no desire to continue the conversation.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a silence as complete as death descended.
Like pulling out earbuds.
‘So the voice really cuts off when I will it?’
I chuckled and opened the connection again.
-Phlunikthos?
-…Release me! Quickly!
-What?
-I said release me! You’ve been doing this the whole time!
-I had communication blocked, so I couldn’t hear you.
-What? Since when?
-From the very beginning when you started that incessant banging.
Phlunikthos let out a hollow laugh at the realization that he’d essentially been screaming at a wall.
-Heh, once I escape this place, I’ll kill you.
-Can you even escape?
-…I will find a way.
-You’re that desperate to leave?
-Of course! This blindingly bright space is my absolute least favorite place!
Well, it made sense—demons weren’t accustomed to light.
-I actually have one method, though I’m not sure you’ll like it.
-What method?
-Soul annihilation. They say if I wish it, I can erase you…should I do that?
-What?
Ryu Min didn’t miss the tremor in Phlunikthos’s voice in that single instant.
-Didn’t you hear me? I can obliterate your soul.
-….
Phlunikthos suddenly fell silent.
Ryu Min, catching on to some degree, lifted the corners of his mouth.
If his face were visible, he’d undoubtedly be wearing an embarrassed expression.
-Why so quiet? Even a Demon Archduke fears annihilation, it seems?
-W-well, of course it’s terrifying. Soul annihilation is accomplished by decomposing the soul’s essence down to the molecular level. They say it feels like being flayed from head to toe with a perfectly honed blade.
-How do you know so much about it?
-Ahem… well, I’ve annihilated other souls before….
-You really are a bastard.
Ryu Min hurled the curse, but Phlunikthos offered no retort.
He was probably keeping his mouth shut after hearing that annihilation was possible.
‘Even the mighty Demon Archduke doesn’t want to die in agony, it seems.’
Mischief sparked in Ryu Min’s mind as he chuckled.
-A wicked creature like you deserves to be annihilated, naturally.
-W-wait! Don’t annihilate me!
-You bang around making noise, and trapped as you are, you still speak casually and disrespectfully—what’s good about that? I should just erase you.
-N-no. No, I apologize.
His tone shifted instantly to formal speech.
-I will correct my manner of speaking. I will not make noise. Please, I beg you, do not annihilate me, Black Scythe….
-Why keep something useless? I should annihilate you right now….
-I-I can provide information. Ask me anything you wish!
-I already know the information I need.
-Do you not know that Artaros has not come to the Other World?
-Yeah. He said he’d conserve his strength, so you came alone.
-….
His silence confirmed my suspicion.
I had extracted this information by reading his true thoughts before his death—there was no way I could be mistaken.
-I know everything. How you brought only the demons ranked in the top ten, how you targeted No Poe-in No-ge-i under the orders of a certain god named Moros.
-H-how did you…?
-That’s a trade secret I can’t divulge. What’s certain is that keeping you around offers me absolutely nothing. That’s why you need to be erased. Understand?
The word “erased” drew an immediate response.
-I-I’ll stay quiet! I’ll remain silent as death itself! Please, just let me live. There’s no loss for you, is there?
-There’s no gain either.
-That’s not true. There must be something you’ll need me for eventually. The future is unknowable, isn’t it?
The desperate way he wagged his tongue to survive was pathetic, but I couldn’t deny the truth of his words.
I needed Phlunikthos.
‘Without him, I can’t use the temporary skill called Demon Tribe’s Qualification.’
If I erased Phlunikthos, the skill would vanish as well.
The skill only existed because it was storing Phlunikthos within it.
‘That’s why it’s labeled as a temporary skill.’
Besides, there was no risk in keeping a soul that couldn’t escape on its own.
If it ever became unnecessary, I could simply erase it then.
I spoke with the magnanimity of one granting a favor.
-Well, if you’re going to plead so earnestly, I suppose I can postpone it for now.
-Thank you, thank you so much.
-But the moment you irritate me even slightly, I’ll make you experience the agony of being hacked to pieces. Remember that.
-Of course, of course. Hehe.
At the sycophantic shift in his tone, I let out a quiet laugh.
-If that space of light becomes too unbearable, just say the word anytime. I’ll erase you right away.
-N-no, actually, now that I think about it, there’s something warm about it that I rather like. Hahaha….
Leaving Phlunikthos’s awkward laughter behind, I ended the conversation.
‘Might as well test out the skill now. The crisis is resolved anyway.’
With the thought of taking a quick look, I activated the skill.
‘Demon Tribe’s Qualification.’
[Skill activation in progress.]
[Any other action will cancel the incantation.]
I waited ten seconds.
Whoosh—
My body vanished without a trace.

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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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