The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 330
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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 330
330. Gate of Heaven
After warping to the Demon King’s Castle, Ryu Min let out a sigh.
[You have abandoned your position during Round progression.]
[If you do not return to the progression location within one hour, your Player status will be revoked.]
[Time remaining until status revocation: 00:59:59]
‘I still haven’t escaped this damned Survival Game.’
The appearance of a message was proof that I remained bound to the Survival Game.
Of course, if I didn’t return within an hour, I would become a free person.
Having my Player status revoked meant returning to being an ordinary person.
‘But I can’t possibly give up now that I’ve come this far.’
Would I be insane enough to surrender with only one Round remaining?
Not when the Wish Stone—capable of granting any desire—lay within reach.
‘Besides, I have my own reason for obtaining the Wish Stone.’
Even if they offered to make me an ordinary person now, I would refuse.
I would gladly participate as a Mercenary in the Heavenly Demon War and lead it to victory.
‘But first, there’s something I need to do.’
Ryu Min closed his eyes and summoned the remaining Demon Nobility.
Then Sitri, the sole surviving Demon Nobility, appeared through a warp.
[M-my lord, did you summon me? I am delighted to see you again.]
“Yeah. How have you been?”
[I have been well, thanks to your grace, but….]
Sitri was trembling with fear.
Anyone watching would think I intended to kill him.
‘Is he feeling guilty about leaving the Boss Room alone? He’s surprisingly loyal.’
When Ryu Min stared at him intently, having discerned the guilt, Sitri misunderstood and prostrated himself.
[I-I am terribly sorry! I shall accept any p-punishment!]
“What are you apologizing for?”
[For leaving first during the Round, my lord.]
“I told you to go.”
[B-but I should not have gone. A lowly servant such as myself, abandoning my lord and departing. A worm like me does not deserve to live….]
“Stop spouting words you don’t mean. I have a question for you.”
[Y-yes? What is it…?]
“Do you know the way to the Heavenly Realm?”
Sitri’s eyes widened at Ryu Min’s question.
[You wish to go to the Heavenly Realm?]
“Yeah. I can come and go from the Demon Realm freely, but I don’t know how to reach the Heavenly Realm. Do you happen to know?”
[I do know, but… it cannot be entered through normal routes.]
“So it’s possible through abnormal routes?”
[Yes. There is one way to reach the Gate of Heaven. However, the gatekeeper will not permit entry.]
“It’s fine. I can just threaten them.”
[….]
“Just guide me to the Entrance. I’ll handle the rest myself.”
[No. There is a better way.]
Ryu Min read the thought of Sitri, who was smiling faintly, and laughed along.
“Alright. Guide me.”
* * *
The Heavenly Realm and the Demon Realm exist in different dimensions.
Because their territories are distinct, traveling between them or invading is nearly impossible.
Dimensional travel consumes far too much energy.
However, once the Final Round begins, they can meet each other without paying the price of energy.
The Other World’s system serves as a bridge between the two dimensions.
But that is not the only method available.
Unofficial routes exist everywhere, after all.
“Is that it? The gate to the Heavenly Realm?”
[Yes, that’s correct. Through that gate, you can enter the Heavenly Realm without needing the Other World.]
Standing before a colossal gate hundreds of meters tall built upon clouds, Ryu Min turned to look at Sitri.
“You’re really capable of this?”
[Of course. Do you doubt my abilities?]
“You need to have proven it first.”
[Don’t worry and leave it to me. I have plenty of experience using this on the Celestial Tribe.]
“Then do it.”
At the command, Sitri nodded and changed his form.
From the shape of a winged panther to the beautiful form of an angel.
It was Sitri’s ability to change his appearance.
“Flawless disguise.”
[Then I shall return shortly.]
Sitri, smiling confidently, approached the gatekeepers of the Heavenly Realm.
The two gatekeepers saw Sitri and their eyes grew cautious.
[Stop.]
[Reveal your identity.]
Even though Sitri wore the form of one of their own kind, the gatekeepers did not lower their guard.
At the slightest suspicion, they would immediately send a signal and lock the gate so that no one could open it.
[Hehehehe, gatekeepers. You work so hard. Don’t be so rigid—look here for a moment.]
Sitri mimicked the laughter unique to angels and flashed a radiant smile, his eyes sparkling.
His pupils, glowing violet, instantly captivated the minds of the gatekeepers.
[Ah, such beauty exists.]
[What is your desire? I shall grant you anything.]
The two gatekeepers gazed with entranced eyes, but Sitri, as if uninterested, waved his hand toward his master.
[It is done, Your Majesty!]
“An ability similar to Yamtti’s? Quite effective.”
Sitri’s other ability was seduction.
It could be used as is, but when used while changing appearance like this, the success rate was supposedly much higher.
People would surrender their very livers and gallbladders, so to speak.
As Ryu Min approached, Sitri smiled brightly.
[Now you need only command, and it shall be done. What would you have me do?]
“Tell them to open the door.”
[Understood. Excuse me, gatekeepers? Would you open the door for us?]
[Oh! What was I thinking? Of course we must open it.]
[We cannot keep such a beautiful lady standing.]
The gatekeepers, their eyes seeing only Sitri, paid Ryu Min no mind whatsoever.
Grrrrrrrrrk—
The sight of the massive door opening of its own accord was truly magnificent.
Upon entering the Heavenly Realm, Ryu Min glanced at the time displayed on his retina.
[Time remaining until qualification revocation: 00:39:42]
‘Time is running short.’
I needed to finish my business quickly and return within the remaining time.
[Now that we’ve entered the Heavenly Realm, what shall we do?]
“I need to find someone.”
[Find someone?]
“A Divine Being I saw here before. They’re probably here. Phlunikthos mentioned they appear frequently in the Heavenly Hall.”
Sitri’s eyes widened, apparently not expecting I had come to seek out a god.
“You head back to the Demon Realm now. I’ll handle things from here on my own.”
[Are you certain? Is there nothing I can help with…?]
“Nothing. So don’t make that guilty face and go. I can find the Divine Being alone.”
[In this vast Heavenly Realm, how do you intend to search…?]
“There’s always a way.”
As Ryu Min activated a skill, a welcome notification appeared.
[Face and name match. Tracking target location.]
[Location of target ‘Nemesis’ has been identified.]
[Currently 4,431 meters away.]
[Follow the arrow visible ahead to track the target.]
“Fortunately, they’re in the Heavenly Realm.”
The corners of Ryu Min’s mouth curved upward with satisfaction.
* * *
‘What in the world is happening?’
Nemesis, the goddess of vengeance seated in the Heavenly Hall, found herself utterly bewildered by the unfolding situation.
She had been confused when Michael lost Black Scythe, and again when she heard that Black Scythe had died.
But compared to the news she had just received, those were nothing.
‘Chaos himself intervened, and yet Black Scythe survived. What kind of human is he, exactly?’
When she heard that Chaos, the god of chaos and destruction, had personally stepped in, she had assumed Black Scythe would finally perish.
Yet somehow, the Survival Game had not ended, and Black Scythe was designated as the sole survivor, now awaiting the Final Round.
‘In a way, perhaps this is fortunate? If Black Scythe steps forward as planned, the Celestial Tribe’s victory is assured.’
Had Phlunikthos accelerated the war as originally scheduled, the Celestial Tribe would have been defeated.
But for some reason, contact had been severed after Round 18, and the war was not accelerated even without surrendering Black Scythe.
‘At that time, it seemed certain defeat if we didn’t hand over Black Scythe to Phlunikthos, but circumstances have changed now.’
In fact, keeping Black Scythe alive had become the shortest path to the Celestial Tribe’s victory in the wager.
‘The problem is that Chaos desires Black Scythe’s death.’
In the Heavenly Demon War held once every hundred years, the Celestial Tribe had won only once.
They lost in the first and second iterations.
Then, deeming it tedious for only one side to win, the divine beings established a system to employ humans as mercenaries.
And in the third war, when the Celestial Tribe was defeated, they introduced a program for the first time, cultivating humans as mercenaries.
But the difficulty was so high that no human had ever reached the Final Round, and the fourth Heavenly Demon War ended in the Celestial Tribe’s defeat as expected.
After suffering consecutive defeats from the first through fourth wars, the Celestial Tribe achieved a miraculous victory in the fifth, but it was not due to human assistance.
They had never even developed humans to Round 20.
They had seized victory through their own strength alone.
‘Yet they were defeated again in the sixth war.’
And now, as the seventh Heavenly Demon War was about to commence.
The divine beings naturally expected the Celestial Tribe to be defeated.
They expected human mercenaries to be no variable at all.
For until now, no human had ever reached the Final Round under the Celestial Tribe’s guidance.
‘Yet one did. Defying all the gods’ expectations.’
Moreover, Black Scythe had earned the right to take the battlefield, displaying such overwhelming prowess as to slaughter both Celestial and Demon Tribe members.
If such a Black Scythe fought alongside them, the Celestial Tribe’s victory was assured.
‘And through the wager, we could acquire an astronomical amount of [Terra]. The odds are stacked in the Demon Tribe’s favor, given the expected defeat.’
Yet Nemesis soon wore a regretful expression.
The Celestial Tribe’s victory seemed certain, but the problem was that Chaos had changed his terms.
Forget the wager—he had decided to kill Black Scythe.
‘He said he would stand with the Celestial Tribe, so why did he suddenly change his mind?’
Since Chaos’s energy was also wagered in this game, he too should desire the Celestial Tribe’s victory.
So why did he wish to kill Black Scythe, who was practically a winning card?
‘I truly cannot fathom this….’
“Found you.”
[Gasp!]
Nemesis startled at the sudden voice from behind and spun around.
Upon confirming the face of the newcomer, she was astonished once more.
[Y-you’re Black Scythe?]
“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
[How did you get here!]
Swish—
Ryu Min immediately pressed his scythe against Nemesis’s throat.
“You don’t need to know that. Just answer my questions.”
[You insolent fool!]
Nemesis blazed with fury, seemingly unafraid of the scythe at her neck.
[How dare you enter the Heavenly Realm without permission and threaten a god! Have you lost your mind! Do you know who I am!]
“The Goddess of Vengeance, Nemesis.”
[And yet you still do this!]
“You know it too, don’t you? That I’m the one who subdued Artaros and killed Phlunikthos.”
[What, what? Who died?]
“Artaros and Phlunikthos.”
At those two staggering names, Nemesis let out a sigh.
[How dare a mere human mock me!]
“That wasn’t my intention.”
[Stop spouting nonsense!]
“You really didn’t know? That’s surprising. I thought gods with clairvoyance would be quick to gather information… Is it because Chaos is interfering?”
[You’re completely out of your mind! How could a mere human possibly kill a god!]
“Even though I’m a Player, I’m not human.”
[What?]
“Want me to show you?”
Before the words even finished, a sharp pain bloomed across her neck.
Looking down, crimson blood trickled from Nemesis’s throat.
“See? Could a mere human wound a god’s neck like this?”
[….]
“So from now on, listen carefully to what I say. One wrong move and you die right here.”
As I tightened the scythe to show I wasn’t bluffing, Nemesis trembled with tension, her body quaking.
In her eyes gleamed the same fear she had shown when facing Chaos.
[W-what do you want?]
As if waiting for those very words, Ryu Min smiled wickedly.
“Tell me everything you know about Chaos.”
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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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