The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 333
—————
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 333
333. The Final Round Begins
‘I thought Round 20 was the last one….’
Ryu Won gazed at his older brother lying on the bed with a worried expression.
Who would have ever imagined that there would be a Final Round, and that he would be lying down waiting again?
And alone at that?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because I’m worried….”
“Anyone would think you’re sending me off to die.”
“D-don’t even joke about that!”
Ryu Won’s imagination ran wild for a moment.
How hollow the empty space left by his brother would be.
How lonely a world where he had to live alone would be.
Understanding his younger brother’s heart so well, Ryu Min offered a gentle smile.
“Don’t worry. I have some information about the Final Round, so I’m prepared for it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’m going in with some level of preparation. So don’t make that face.”
The younger brother’s face, which had been on the verge of tears from worry, brightened slightly.
“You have to come back alive. Understood?”
“I think you said that before too.”
“I’m being serious this time.”
“I got it already.”
Ryu Min chuckled with an air of composure, but in truth, he could make no guarantees.
This was a round he had never experienced before, and the probability of Chaos appearing was high.
‘I might fail. But there’s no way to avoid it either.’
I would conquer the Final Round no matter what and put an end to this damned game.
With that resolve, Ryu Min exchanged final farewells with his younger brother.
It was time to go now.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Mm. Brother.”
With his younger brother’s worried face as the last thing he saw, Ryu Min closed his eyes.
The clock hanging on the wall pointed precisely to midnight.
* * *
There is no game quite like the Heavenly Demon War to soothe the boredom of the Divine Beings.
A fierce war where the Celestial Tribe and Demon Tribe stake their very lives against one another.
And amidst it all, they place wagers while predicting the victor.
It may be called a game, but it’s nothing more than a gambling den.
[Welcome, Apollo.]
[Ah, Hermes. It’s been a while. Has all been well?]
[Indeed. And Daphne? Did she join you this time as well?]
[No. Our opinions diverged this time. She insisted the Celestial Tribe would win and left.]
[How unfortunate. The Celestial Tribe hardly seems to have a chance this time either.]
[Quite so. I tried to convince her to side with the Demon Tribe like me, but it was futile. She seems to have her eyes on the payout.]
[Haha, the odds for the Celestial Tribe are rather high this time, after all. Who knows? Perhaps a miracle will occur and the Celestial Tribe will prevail.]
[Don’t jest about such things. If I lose this match, I’ll be completely ruined.]
[Have you wagered heavily?]
[I’ve put 500,000 Tera on this match.]
[Wow! You certainly play boldly!]
‘Tera’ is the energy used by the Divine Beings and the means by which they place their wagers.
While all Divine Beings possess Tera, it is difficult to accumulate naturally, so they guard it as jealously as mortals guard money.
Without Tera, a Divine Being cannot exercise their special powers.
Thus, they stake their very existence on what amounts to gambling—the Heavenly Demon War.
[I wagered 300,000 Tera this time.]
[Ah, quite a substantial sum?]
[I’ve heard that Athena wagered 800,000.]
[What? On the Demon Tribe’s side?]
[No. On the Celestial Tribe’s victory….]
[Hahahaha! That wise one seems destined to lose everything this time.]
[That remains to be seen.]
At the sudden interjection, the Divine Beings’ heads turned.
Upon identifying the speaker, their disgruntled expressions shifted to alarm.
[Gasp—Moros?]
[We greet you, Moros.]
Moros, the God of Doom.
His standing was incomparable to that of the other Divine Beings.
Not only was his rank exceedingly high, but he was estimated to possess 5 million Tera—a fortune beyond measure.
[Pardon me, Moros. What did you mean by your earlier remark….]
[Surely you’re not suggesting the Celestial Tribe will win this time?]
The Divine Beings asked cautiously, but Moros did not answer.
He merely furrowed his brow.
The reason was that a factor causing him great concern stood directly before his eyes.
‘Damn it. Black Scythe has made it to the Final Round.’
While the other Divine Beings might not know, Moros understood Black Scythe.
After all, he had contributed to Black Scythe’s elimination by providing Phlunikthos with information about No Poe-in No-ge-i.
‘Yet instead of being eliminated, he’s standing there alive and well….’
On the screen before him, Black Scythe was visible.
Standing alone in the Monochrome Space, waiting.
The Divine Beings who saw that figure murmured amongst themselves.
[That’s not human, is it?]
[It appears to be a human who passed through the Celestial Tribe’s program up to Round 20.]
[Perhaps that human might act as a variable?]
[A variable from just one Mercenary? Don’t be absurd.]
[That’s right. The Celestial Tribe has only won once, in the fifth iteration. The Demon Tribe has the advantage.]
[Isn’t this the first time the Celestial Tribe has even raised a Mercenary to the Final Round?]
[The Demon Tribe’s victory is all but certain. There’s nothing to worry about, everyone!]
‘They should be worried. That Black Scythe is on an entirely different level from any Player I’ve seen before.’
Moros had witnessed it.
In the mock war held during Round 18, Black Scythe’s overwhelming power as he swept through both the Celestial Tribe and Demon Tribe indiscriminately.
That was why Moros had voluntarily provided Phlunikthos with information about No Poe-in No-ge-i.
If he couldn’t stop Black Scythe, he would lose the wager.
He had told Phlunikthos he was helping to curry favor with Artaros’s superiors.
‘I absolutely cannot lose. I’ve wagered 4 million Tera—practically my entire fortune—on this bet!’
There was no changing his prediction now.
Winner predictions were determined before Round 1 even began.
‘Damn it! Why isn’t Phlunikthos responding at a time like this?’
He had intended to demand answers from Phlunikthos about what was happening, but the problem was he couldn’t reach him.
‘Surely nothing’s happened to him? No, that can’t be.’
What could possibly happen to Phlunikthos, who was nearly divine in power?
Even if something had occurred, it was none of his concern.
All that mattered to him was the Demon Tribe’s victory.
‘Please, let me not lose my precious Tera….’
He prayed desperately, unaware of one crucial fact.
The human standing before him had killed Divine Beings and survived an assault from Chaos itself.
* * *
September 1st, midnight.
A familiar space unfolded before my eyes.
It was none other than the Monochrome Space.
Yet standing alone in this boundless expanse filled me with an indescribable emptiness.
‘I thought I’d grown accustomed to solitude… but it seems I haven’t.’
Until now, I had devoted myself solely to my own survival, but this time I acted differently.
I focused on saving as many people as possible and succeeded in bringing seventy-one comrades to Round 20 for the first time.
But those years of shared hardship vanished like a mirage with the emergence of Chaos, an absolute being.
All my efforts had become meaningless.
‘No, it wasn’t meaningless. I survived.’
Simply surpassing Round 20 could be seen as progress compared to before.
However, regardless, results matter if anything is to have meaning.
‘I will absolutely conquer this round and claim the Wish Stone.’
For the Wish Stone, I would risk any danger.
In that moment of resolve, a message appeared.
[Welcome, players who have entered the Final Round.]
[Before beginning the final game, I will reveal your mission.]
The Angel who usually guided us was nowhere to be seen.
Only a translucent window flickered before my eyes.
◀ FINAL ROUND ▶
【Quest】
└Achieve victory in war against the Demon Tribe
└Final participants: 1
As expected, the Quest was identical to Round 18.
The difference was that it had been a practice game then, but now it was real combat with the Divine Beings’ energy at stake.
‘They said the energy they wagered was called Tera, didn’t they?’
To verify the information I’d heard in passing, I summoned the sleeping soul.
-Hey, Phlunikthos. What is Tera?
-Pardon?
He was displeased at being called without warning and questioned so abruptly, but as a soul bound in servitude, Phlunikthos had no choice but to respond submissively.
-It’s, it’s energy. Energy that the Divine Beings use….
-Is it different from divine power?
-Yes, it is.
-How is it different?
-Divine power is the superior aura that surrounds the bodies of the Divine Beings, while Tera is the energy that allows the Divine Beings to use their inherent abilities.
Simply put, divine power is the unique aura of the Divine Beings, while Tera is a kind of mana required to use their abilities.
-So you also possessed this thing called Tera?
-No. Since I was a half-Divine Being, I had nothing to boast of except divine power.
-Nemesis is a Divine Being, so she would have possessed Tera, right?
-That’s probably right. I’m sure you bet a lot of Tera on the Celestial Tribe’s victory?
Ryu Min cut off the connection without even acknowledging the question.
Then he immediately attempted to communicate with Nemesis’s soul.
-Nemesis.
-….
-If you don’t answer, I’ll annihilate you?
-W-what is it?
-Your tone lacks respect. This won’t do. A soul like you who doesn’t listen needs to be annihilated….
-I-I’m sorry! I’m still not used to this, so I spoke carelessly without meaning to….
Nemesis knew all too well what the pain of soul annihilation felt like.
Having spoken once before the round began, he was aware of his own situation.
-I have a question. Do you have Tera as well?
-Tera? Of course I have it. Or rather… I had it.
-How much?
-About six million….
-And you bet it all on the Celestial Tribe’s victory?
-Yes… but now it’s all become meaningless.
-Is Tera really that important to the Divine Beings? Important enough to wager?
-Absolutely. A Divine Being without Tera is nothing but an empty shell. The energy required to use our abilities comes from Tera, and if we can’t use our abilities because we lack it, that’s as good as proving our incompetence.
-So it’s as important to you as money is to humans.
Seeing that it could even be traded, it seemed fair to call it wealth.
-How do you obtain Tera?
-There’s no special way. Tera accumulates naturally from birth. Well, you can extort it from other Divine Beings or obtain it through wagers.
-Then I must have some as well?
-Any Divine Being would have it, so I’d assume so.
-How do I check?
-You naturally become aware of it… you don’t know?
Ryu Min didn’t bother answering.
He didn’t know, and besides, a message announcing the start had appeared.
[The Final Round will begin shortly.]
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————