The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 329

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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 329
329. Eternal Weapon
Click, click—
Standing on the podium as camera shutters clicked away, Ryu Min spoke to the nation with a grave expression.
About what had transpired in Round 20.
“Round 20 was a mission to defeat the final boss. Seventy-two players, including myself, made thorough preparations and faced the boss, but….”
Ryu Min paused.
The image of dying comrades flickered vividly in his mind.
“In the end, only I managed to survive.”
“Does that mean you’ve ultimately achieved your wish?”
A reporter who couldn’t contain himself shouted the question.
But Ryu Min shook his head.
“No. It turns out Round 20 wasn’t the final round. I learned that there’s another round called the Final Round—the true last stage—and only by clearing it can I achieve my wish.”
“The Final Round?”
“There was another round?”
The murmuring reporters rapidly tapped their notebooks.
“When will that Final Round take place?”
To the question from the reporter who had shouted moments before, Ryu Min replied in a quiet voice.
“The final round will begin at midnight on September 1st, one month from now.”

* * *
[Of the 72 players who entered Round 20, only one survivor remains: Black Scythe.]
[Black Scythe states that Round 20 was not the end. There is a Final Round….]
[The last survivor, Black Scythe, expresses condolences for the deaths of 71 players who faced the boss….]
An unprecedented catastrophe—71 dead, only 1 survivor.
The families of the deceased wept at this unforeseen tragedy.
“Sob, Ju-ri… our daughter….”
Min Do-hun, who had confirmed his daughter’s death before even hearing the news report, wept endlessly.
The memory of her bright smile before entering the Other World, telling him not to worry, only deepened his anguish.
“How could this happen? How is this possible? Leaving your father behind and going first… How am I supposed to live now, hic-hic.”
Min Do-hun, who had wept until dawn broke, was inwardly astonished to discover he was capable of crying so much.
And he was further shocked to realize how much he had depended on his daughter.
After exhausting himself with tears, his next reaction was denial.
“This is a lie, isn’t it? This is all a dream? A plausibly crafted dream. I fell asleep without realizing it and I’m having a nightmare right now. I should have known. I should have….”
Tears dripped from Min Do-hun’s eyes as he muttered.
“Please tell me it’s a dream. Wake up as if nothing happened, as if I slept well. Yes? I’m begging you like this… Dear God….”
Though he now pleaded with God, he knew well that the dead do not return.
There had been no cases of anyone reviving after a round ended.
Then, unexpectedly, the doorbell rang.
Ding-dong, ding-dong—
He momentarily escaped his sorrow and stepped toward the entrance.
Through the peephole, a familiar face appeared.
“Black… Scythe?”
“Hello, sir. May I come in for a moment?”
Min Do-hun nodded and ushered Ryu Min inside.
When the lottery ticket purchased from his convenience store had won, he’d thought Ryu Min was simply a fortunate young man, but now he knew better.
That he was Black Scythe.
That he was Min Ju-ri’s high school classmate.
“You’ve heard the news, haven’t you?”
“…It was on the news.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect her…”
Min Do-hun shook his head at Ryu Min’s apology.
“There’s nothing to apologize for. You probably did your best.”
Of course I did.
Ryu Min nodded, then asked cautiously.
“…How is Ju-ri?”
“She’s in the room over there.”
On the bed in the room Min Do-hun indicated lay Min Ju-ri.
As if she were sleeping peacefully.
“Looking at her like this, she seems to be asleep… but she’s not breathing.”
“…”
“Is there really no way to save her?”
Min Do-hun asked with hopeful eyes, but Ryu Min’s answer was decisive.
“It’s impossible. After the soul transfer, she was annihilated, so there’s no method that could revive her. She’s no longer a Player, so revival doesn’t work either.”
Even without my intervention, others had already attempted it.
Whether someone eliminated in the Round could be revived in reality.
But resurrecting a non-Player with Life Potions proved impossible.
Revival skills didn’t work either.
“I suppose that’s the case…?”
He asked knowing the answer, but it was as expected.
Min Do-hun released a deep sigh and asked quietly.
“How did our daughter go… Did she suffer?”
“No. There wouldn’t have been time for that.”
“That’s at least some consolation…”
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t instantaneous death, but Ryu Min had no choice but to lie.
He knew better than anyone how agonizing the grief of losing family could be.
“Looking at her like this, she seems to be sleeping soundly, yet she’s dead. I still can’t believe it…”
Ryu Min quietly placed a hand on Min Do-hun’s trembling shoulder.
Then he withdrew his hand from the quivering shoulder and turned away silently.
“I’m sorry, Father. If I’d known it would come to this, I would have done better… *sob*”
Min Ju-ri’s father needed to cry more.
He wasn’t emotionally prepared to let his daughter go.
‘I shouldn’t interfere.’
Click—
Ryu Min opened the entrance door and slipped out of the home, exhaling heavily.
My chest felt hollow.
I had come to offer comfort to Min Ju-ri’s family, but witnessing another’s grief was always agonizing.
‘Still, I should tell them what her final moments were like. Even if it’s nothing but a pure, white lie.’
That was why I had sought out the families of the deceased.

* * *
Seventy-one had died.
A significant number, but thanks to the Memory Rune, I could recall each face with perfect clarity.
“Have you heard about Christine?”
“I have.”
At first glance, Nathan appeared taciturn, but I knew better.
He was drowning in the sorrow of losing his child.
“Jeffrey also perished, I understand?”
“Yes.”
“Both of them must have gone to a better place. So I won’t worry anymore.”
Nathan spoke with determination, yet his puffy, swollen eyes betrayed how much he had wept.
‘He doesn’t even say they went to heaven.’
I understood after reading his thoughts.
His faith in God had already shattered.
It was only natural—the very thing he had believed in had turned against him.
I could sense the confusion in his heart, uncertain what to trust anymore.
Sensing it was time to leave, I bowed my head.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Yes. Thank you for coming like this.”
For four days, I traveled across the globe meeting the families of the fallen.
I delivered the news of my comrades’ deaths directly and offered what meager comfort I could.
I even attended several ongoing funerals.
‘Phew. After four days of hearing nothing but weeping, this is almost unbearable.’
Yet it had to be done.
If I was to honor the fallen at all.
“Big brother, you’re back?”
“Yeah.”
Returning home, I gave a perfunctory greeting before heading to my room.
I caught my Younger Brother’s pitying gaze, but I didn’t let it bother me.
I understood why he looked at me that way.
‘I think they believe I’m feeling guilty about being the only one to survive.’
Ryu Min wasn’t as despondent as one might expect.
Losing comrades was undoubtedly sorrowful, but wallowing in despair wouldn’t help anyone.
‘I must move forward. Somehow, alone if necessary.’
And I will have my revenge.
To kill the Divine Being called Chaos, I would do anything.
‘Anger serves me better than sorrow. At least it fuels my drive toward a goal.’
I wasn’t sure how to exact that revenge yet.
For now, I planned to kill more Divine Beings and complete the Soul Bond Quest.
‘Artaros is dead now, and I need to find Nyx, the Goddess of Night. Ah, and I need to hunt down that bastard Moros too.’
Any Divine Being who conspired with Chaos would be hunted down and eliminated.
Though I had no idea how to find them yet.
A sigh escaped me, but not all the news was grim.
‘I’ve been so busy running around that I only just remembered to check.’
I had an item from the Round 20 reward.
‘I wonder what this special reward selection box will give me?’
I opened the box with anticipation in my eyes.
[You may select one of the following special rewards.]
[Please touch the reward you desire.]
└ 1. Stat Increase Buff 50% (Final Round Only)
└ 2. Temporary Skill – Invincibility (Final Round Only)
└ 3. Temporary Skill – Sweep (Final Round Only)
The opened box was underwhelming at first glance.
‘Wait, invincibility is available, so it’s not completely worthless.’
I already knew what the Final Round mission entailed.
Standing with the Celestial Tribe and leading the Heavenly Demon War to victory.
In such circumstances, both the stat buff and sweep would certainly be useful, but I couldn’t ignore one possibility.
The assumption that Chaos might appear.
‘Stats mean nothing before Chaos. I have an instant-death skill that can kill him unconditionally.’
Therefore, my choice was clear.
‘Option 2, Invincibility. Nothing would be more useful than this.’
Having chosen Invincibility as a temporary skill once again, I examined my inventory.
I could see the Refined Ether I’d received as a reward.
‘With this one, I now have two Refined Ethers. I can finally craft an Eternal Weapon.’
I had the Withering Branch received as a memento of becoming a Demon King, but having one more weapon wouldn’t hurt, would it?
‘I’ll combine them right away.’
I placed the materials in the combination window and pressed the combine button.
[Combining an Eternal-grade item.]
[The item’s quality is high, so crafting will take time. Please wait patiently.]
[Combining materials….]
[Analyzing the user’s soul…]
[Synchronizing resonance…]
[Combination successful!]
[You have created ‘Scythe of Darkness’.]
[Scythe of Darkness]
-Classification: Weapon
-Grade: Eternal
-Attack Power: 9,999
-Effect: Deals guaranteed damage to entities with darkness attribute.
-Durability: Infinite
-Usage Restriction: Black Scythe (Soul-bound)
-Description: A weapon capable of slaying gods.
Ryu Min’s eyes widened as he reviewed the information.
‘Is this… meant to face Chaos?’
When darkness attribute came to mind, there was only one being—Chaos.
He could deal guaranteed damage to such an opponent?
‘This is a perfectly tailored weapon.’
Of course, whether this weapon would prove effective against Chaos remained unknown until tested directly.
‘But if my intuition is correct and Chaos truly possesses the darkness attribute, and guaranteed damage means absolute accuracy…’
He could face him.
He could inflict meaningful wounds upon Chaos.
As hope bloomed within him, Ryu Min smiled wickedly.
‘I’m glad I decided to craft this weapon.’
Yet regret stirred in his heart.
What if he had forged this weapon instead of other Eternal equipment from the start?
Would the outcome have been different?
‘I look forward to meeting Chaos.’
The thought of finally achieving revenge made his lips curve upward, but he had no intention of passively waiting for the Final Round to arrive.
Creak—
Opening the door, Ryu Min spoke to his Younger Brother.
“Won-ah, I’m going out for a bit.”
“Huh? W-where are you going?”
Ryu Min smiled reassuringly at his Younger Brother, who seemed worried.
“The Demon Realm.”

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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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