The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 36

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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 36
36. Divine Punishment Executor
The first Angel slayer.
It was a title I obtained after killing Briel, my assigned Angel.
‘A fine title that doubles my stats against the Holy attribute.’
The Divine Punishment Executor is none other than a Holy-attribute creature.
This is precisely why I’m considering capturing it rather than simply fleeing.
‘Without this title, I wouldn’t have dared to challenge it.’
The Divine Punishment Executor is a monster that requires at least five level-40 hunters to barely defeat.
For me at level 27, facing it alone would be overwhelming.
‘But with the right strategy and stats to back it up, there’s nothing I can’t accomplish.’
I possess the Massacre Rune, which amplifies my stats twofold.
Combined with the Angel Slayer title, that’s another doubling.
A total of four times.
In terms of raw stat value alone, it’s comparable to a maxed-out level-99 player.
At least when measured against someone wearing normal equipment.
‘Still, it wouldn’t hurt to raise my stats a bit more.’
I opened the combination window.
One large slot and five smaller slots radiating from its center came into view.
The large slot is for the primary material, while the five remaining slots are for secondary materials.
‘I’ll combine mana stones to boost my stats however I can.’
I dragged items from my inventory into the slot spaces.
[Primary Material]
-Skull Bone Necklace
[Secondary Materials]
-Lowest-Grade Purple Mana Stone
-(Empty)
-(Empty)
-(Empty)
-(Empty)
The secondary material slots remained unfilled, but there was no need to complete them all.
Once ready, I pressed the combination button.
[Combination Successful!]
[The ‘All Stats +1’ option has been added to the Skull Bone Necklace.]
The secondary material vanished, leaving only the Skull Bone Necklace.
I immediately combined mana stones into my other equipment as well.
‘Since I can socket one mana stone per piece of equipment.’
My inventory contained two mana stones.
One was navy blue, the other an orange mana stone I’d obtained from hunting in this round.
[Combination Successful!]
[The Veteran Hunter’s Leather Armor gains the option ‘Damage Reduction +1%’.]
I embedded a lowest-grade navy Magic Stone and obtained damage reduction.
[Combination successful!]
[The Reaper’s Scythe gains the option ‘Strength +2’.]
My Strength stat increased through the lowest-grade orange Magic Stone.
‘Lowest-grade Magic Stones won’t provide much benefit, but….’
I combined them without hesitation to build up my strength however I could.
Combined Magic Stones could be separated whenever I wished.
‘Since they’re not consumables, I can simply attach and detach them as needed.’
Once I finished all preparations by combining the Magic Stones.
Crack—!
The sky split open, and a pillar of light descended upon the earth.
Whoooosh—!
Bathed in the heavenly spotlight stood none other than an Angel.
Clad in judge-like robes with a face obscured by the hood, the gender was indiscernible.
Flutter—!
Wings stretching up to 6 meters in length proclaimed this being’s angelic nature.
‘The number and size of wings determine an Angel’s power.’
The more wings and the larger they are, the greater the Angel’s rank.
‘Ordinary Angels are incomparably smaller in comparison.’
Compared to regular Angels whose combined wingspan barely reached 2 meters, this was an enormous size.
Yet the players, ignorant of such facts, could only gawk with wide eyes.
“Is that the Divine Punishment Executor?”
“We just have to dodge it and survive?”
“Isn’t this too easy?”
Mockery rippled through the crowd.
Though the wings were magnificent, the Divine Punishment Executor resembled an ordinary human.
At such reactions from those around him, Ryu Min let out a scoff.
‘Do they think some giant is about to appear?’
No one would understand how powerful the Divine Punishment Executor truly was until they experienced it firsthand.
Jingle—!
As the Divine Punishment Executor waved its staff, bells attached to the end chimed.
Jingle—jingle!
The creature, which had been walking slowly while using the staff like a crutch, suddenly struck the ground.
Boom—!
At that moment, a purple aura spread outward from the staff’s center.
[The Divine Punishment Executor has cast Restriction Field.]
[You cannot leave the range until the caster dispels it.]
[All players within the field experience a 50% stat reduction.]
A translucent purple barrier materialized across a 100-meter radius.
The players trapped inside panicked in unison.
“What, what is this? My stats are decreasing?”
“We can’t get out?”
“Don’t tell me we’re trapped?”
When I touched the purple barrier, it felt as hard as a wall.
The players trapped inside the massive dome fell into despair.
The plan to escape by running had already fallen apart from the start.
Ryu Min, standing outside the barrier, counted the trapped players.
‘About 300 were caught?’
Of course, I wasn’t trapped by the barrier.
I knew it was cast within a 100-meter radius, so I’d positioned myself well outside the range.
‘Unfortunately, I won’t be able to save those 300.’
Once trapped in a Restriction Field, there’s no way out.
It’s like being a rat in a jar.
‘And with the stat reduction debuff on top of that, they have no chance.’
I knew from facing this creature before.
Once trapped in the field, you’re as good as dead.
Flap—!
The Divine Punishment Executor unfurled her folded wings.
Along with it, countless arrows of light materialized around her wings.
There were easily over 200 of them.
‘It’s beginning.’
I turned my gaze away as if there was nothing more to see.
What would happen next was predictable.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—
The arrows flew like light, piercing through the players’ bodies.
Crack crack crack crack—!
“Cough!”
“Gasp!”
In an instant, 30 players in the front row became arrow targets and died.
“Kyaaaah!”
“I, insane! How are we supposed to dodge that?”
“It’s impossible to even follow with our eyes!”
The panicked players retreated, but unfortunately, there was nowhere to escape.
‘Dodging arrows of light is nearly impossible.’
This was why I refused to be trapped in the field.
The field combined with arrows of light was a deadly combo.
‘In other words, if I just avoid that, it’s nothing special.’
As long as I don’t get caught in the field, there’s no reason to die.
In fact, I could even attack her from behind.
‘Now’s my chance while that creature is distracted.’
Ryu Min quickened his pace.
Meanwhile, a festival of death was unfolding within the Circular Dome.
“Gaaahhhhh!”
“P-please, save me!”
“Mooooom!”
Countless luminous arrows cut down the players with merciless efficiency.
The Divine Punishment Executor conjured arrows in rapid succession, advancing with leisurely precision like a cat toying with a mouse in a cage.
Unaware that Ryu Min watched from behind.
‘Just as I thought—it’s so focused on hunting humans that it pays no attention to what’s behind it.’
Ryu Min circled around the barrier, repositioning himself to the creature’s rear.
Though the barrier prevented him from drawing closer….
‘The moment that barrier drops, I strike.’
This was the only way to ambush it while staying out of its line of sight.
[Your opponent belongs to the Holy attribute.]
[Due to the First Angel Slayer title effect, all stats increase by 2x.]
A sudden notification prompted Ryu Min to open his status window.
-Strength: 80, Intelligence: 28
-Agility: 116, Luck: 96
Combined with the Massacre Rune and the title effect, his stats had quadrupled.
‘This should be more than enough to deal meaningful damage.’
I needed to land a critical hit with that first strike above all else.
Only then would the subsequent battle become manageable.
There was a reason they said the first strike determines victory.
While waiting for the barrier to deactivate, I glanced at the surrounding players.
‘They’re thoroughly traumatized.’
All of them stood speechless, watching the massacre unfold within the barrier.
Some players trembled like aspen leaves.
“We’re supposed to survive thirty minutes against a monster like that?”
“This is insane.”
“There’s no way we can win. We need to run, now.”
The hesitant players scattered in every direction without hesitation.
But fleeing wouldn’t solve anything.
‘That creature has wings. Getting caught is only a matter of time.’
No matter how far they ran, a few flaps of those wings would catch them easily.
Then it would deploy its field again and leisurely slaughter the humans trapped within.
‘Scattering in all directions would actually be better for survival than fleeing as a group.’
The best option was to flee toward the Divine Punishment Executor’s rear.
‘That creature rarely looks back.’
The reason was simple.
It is because they look down on humans.
‘Unless they attack first, that is.’
Soon, with a soft whisper, the barrier dissolved like a curtain falling away.
Because I had slaughtered all 300 players inside.
The moment the Divine Punishment Executor took a step to search for new prey.
‘Now.’
Ryu Min sprinted forward at full speed.
The distance that had been over 100 meters apart due to the barrier quickly narrowed.
70 meters….
50 meters….
30 meters….
One might have expected the Divine Punishment Executor to turn around upon sensing a presence, yet its gaze remained fixed ahead.
‘There’s no need to worry about it turning around.’
The reason being that it had no ears.
That was the first weakness it possessed.
‘Five meters between us…!’
As I reached a reasonably close distance, I leaped high into the air.
Whoosh!
The Mark of Death was already in place from before.
‘I must stake everything on the first strike.’
I gripped the scythe tightly in my hand, channeling all my strength to maximize the damage.
The moment a shadow fell overhead, only then did it raise its head, but.
‘It’s already too late.’
My scythe, swung in a crescent arc, pierced its eye faster than it could react.
Squelch—!
[Shrieeeeeek!]
‘Did it land?’
When I landed after spinning once in mid-air, the Divine Punishment Executor was clutching at its eye.
[Shrieeeek! Ahhhhhhh!]
Golden blood flowed between its fingers as it thrashed about, shrieking in agony.
Whatever it was screaming, it was clearly in pain.
‘It landed perfectly. The eye was hit dead center.’
Piercing the face with a large scythe, especially the eye, is no simple feat.
Without considerable mastery of the weapon and extensive experience, it would be impossible.
Yet I had done it.
‘But it’s not over yet.’
Despite the scythe embedded in its eye, the Divine Punishment Executor did not die.
‘It has such tremendous vitality, after all.’
Moreover, its other eye remained intact.
While it had suffered a critical wound, it was not the sort of creature that would perish from a single attack.
The Seal of Death made her health bar visible, so it was easy to discern.
‘Sixty percent health remaining. I shaved off forty percent with a single strike—not bad at all.’
With that thought, I widened the distance between us.
The Divine Punishment Executor’s remaining eye fluttered open, searching for me.
But I had long since slipped beyond its field of vision.
Unable to see me, it cast the violet barrier once more.
[The Divine Punishment Executor has cast Restriction Field.]
Its intention was to trap me within that snare.
‘I anticipated this and escaped swiftly.’
I had already withdrawn beyond the hundred-meter radius.
The Divine Punishment Executor, now reduced to a single eye, hunted for prey within the field.
But upon realizing no quarry had been caught, it immediately dispelled the field.
As if I had been waiting for exactly that moment, I kicked off the ground.
Whoosh—!
I charged toward its blind spot, closed the distance, then launched myself upward once more.
‘I’ve taken one.’
Squelch—!
[Waaaaaaagh—!]
‘Now for the other.’
The crescent-shaped scythe found its mark in the executor’s remaining eye.
[Huuuugh! Kraaaagh!]
It shrieked—a terrible fusion of agony and fury—and immediately cast another field.
[All player stats within the field decrease by 50%.]
My movements slowed with the stat reduction, but it mattered little.
‘A creature without both eyes is nothing but an excellent punching bag.’
There was no reason to fear something that couldn’t see.
Flutter—!
The Divine Punishment Executor unfurled its massive wings.
Unable to see its opponent, it intended to fire arrows of light in all directions and kill indiscriminately.
Then.
‘Now.’
I cast Night of Death.
Boom—!
The countless arrows of light that had risen snuffed out like candles.
Light was swallowed by darkness.
‘Its second weakness.’
I raised my scythe.
‘The Reaper class has a fatal flaw.’
Light cannot overcome darkness.
The system of the Other World is designed precisely that way.
The panicked Divine Punishment Executor swung his staff desperately.
But there was no way he could hit Ryu Min, who had already repositioned behind him.
‘Time to finish this.’
I decided to sever the wing joints first to prevent any escape.
Crunch—! Crunch—!
After several swings of my pickaxe, the wings finally fell.
[Screeeeeech!]
The creature shrieked in agony, but its other wing remained intact.
With my attack speed increased by 50%, I swung the scythe.
Crunch— Crunch— Thud!
Both wings had fallen.
Now the creature had lost its means of escape.
‘Remaining health: 10%.’
Only the finishing blow remained.
But instead of taking its neck, I created distance between us.
The Divine Punishment Executor’s body was radiating golden light.
[Condition met. The Divine Punishment Executor’s passive skill ‘Radiant Final Brilliance’ activates.]
[The Divine Punishment Executor enters an invincible state.]
A phase that appears when health drops below 10%.
‘If I’d taken the head first, it would’ve died and fled.’
That’s why I removed the wings from the start.
‘Let me watch its final struggle.’
[Screeeeeech!]
The Divine Punishment Executor swung its staff like a madman.
Both its means of attack and escape were blocked.
I watched its pathetic display from a distance with ease.
Whoosh— Whoosh—!
[Screeeeeech!]
After watching its frenzied tantrum for a minute.
[Invincibility deactivates.]
The radiant glow faded away.
And at that moment.
‘Time to die.’
I bounded forward, and my scythe danced.
It didn’t take long for the Divine Punishment Executor’s head to fall.
[You have slain the Divine Punishment Executor.]

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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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