The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player Novel - Chapter 333
Chapter 333 – The Final Round Begins
“I thought the 20th round would be the last…”
Ryu Won looked worriedly at his brother, who was lying on the bed.
Who would have thought there would be a final round and that he would have to wait in bed again?
And alone, too?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because I’m worried…”
“Anyone would think I was going to die.”
“Don’t even joke about that!”
Ryu Won imagined for a moment how empty the place would be without his brother. How lonely it would be to live alone in the world.
Ryu Min, understanding his brother’s feelings well, smiled softly at him.
“I told you not to worry. I have some information about the final round.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’m going in prepared, so don’t make that face.”
His brother’s expression, which had been on the verge of tears with worry, relaxed a bit.
“You have to come back alive, do you hear me?”
“It seems like you’ve told me that before.”
“I’m serious.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Although Ryu Min smiled confidently, he was actually uncertain. This was a round he had not faced before, and the probability of Chaos appearing was high.
“I could fail. But I can’t avoid it.”
He must overcome the final round and put an end to this damn game.
With that thought, Ryu Min said goodbye to his brother for the last time.
It was time to go.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Yes, brother.”
Even though he told him not to worry, his brother’s face still showed concern. With that last image in his mind, Ryu Min closed his eyes.
The clock on the wall struck midnight precisely.
—————–
There is nothing like the Great Celestial War to entertain the gods.
A fierce war where angels and demons risk their lives.
And in the midst of it, the gods place bets on who will win.
Although they call it a game, it is practically a form of gambling.
[Have you arrived, Apollo?]
[Oh, Hermes. It’s been a while. How have you been?]
[Good. And Daphne? Did she come with you this time?]
[No. She didn’t agree this time. She left thinking the angels would win.]
[Wow. That’s a shame. It doesn’t seem like the angels have much chance this time.]
[Exactly. I tried to persuade her to bet on the demons with me, but it didn’t work. Seems like she got carried away by the odds.]
[Ha, ha, yes, it’s true that the odds in favor of the angels are high this time. Who knows? Maybe the angels will win miraculously.]
[Don’t even joke about it. If I lose this time, I’ll be ruined.]
[Did you bet a lot?]
[I bet 500,000 Terra on this game.]
[Wow! What a big bet!]
“Terra” is the energy the gods use for their bets.
All gods possess Terra, but it’s hard to accumulate it naturally, so they treat it like money. Without Terra, gods can’t use their special powers.
That’s why many risk their lives in the bets of the Great Celestial War.
[I bet 300,000 Terra this time.]
[Oh! Quite a lot, isn’t it?]
[I heard Athena bet 800,000.]
[What? In favor of the demons?]
[No, she bet on the angels’ victory…]
[Ha, ha, ha! That wise one will lose it all this time.]
[You can’t be so sure of that.]
The gods’ heads turned towards the voice that suddenly interrupted.
Their previously dissatisfied faces were filled with amazement.
[M-Moros?]
[Greetings, Moros.]
Moros, the God of Destruction.
His status was far above that of the other gods.
Not only was his position high, but it was estimated he possessed 5 million Terra, making him a magnate.
[Excuse me, Moros. What did you mean by that?]
[Are you suggesting that the angels will win this time?]
Although the gods asked cautiously, Moros did not respond.
He simply frowned.
The reason for his concern was right in front of him.
‘Damn it. Black Scythe has reached the final round.’
Although the other gods didn’t know it, Moros knew Black Scythe.
He had helped eliminate Black Scythe by providing information to Plunictos.
‘But instead of being eliminated, he has survived…’
On the screen he was watching, Black Scythe could be seen.
Waiting alone in a colorless space.
The gods who saw this began to murmur.
[Is that a human?]
[It seems like it’s a human who has passed the twenty rounds of the angels’ program.]
[That human might be an unexpected factor.]
[An unexpected factor with just a mercenary?]
[That’s true. So far, the angels have only won once in the fifth round. The demons have always been stronger.]
[It’s the first time the angels have raised a mercenary to the final round, right?]
[The demons’ victory is practically a fact. There’s nothing to worry about, everyone.]
‘They should be worried. This Black Scythe is on another level compared to the players they have seen so far.’
Moros had seen Black Scythe’s skill in the war simulation of the eighteenth round, where he had swept through both angels and demons.
That’s why Moros had offered information about Nopeinoge to Plunictos voluntarily.
He couldn’t afford to lose this bet.
Even though he had told Plunictos he was helping him to get in good with Artaros’s superiors.
‘I can’t lose. I have bet 4 million Terra, which is practically my entire fortune, on this bet.’
He could no longer change his target.
The winners’ predictions were made before the first round began.
‘Damn it! Why isn’t Plunictos responding at such a crucial moment?’
He wanted to ask Plunictos what was going on, but he couldn’t communicate with him.
‘It can’t be that something happened to him, right? No, impossible.’
What could have happened to Plunictos, who is almost like a god?
Even if something had happened to him, it had nothing to do with him.
He only cared about the demons’ victory.
‘Please, don’t let me lose my precious Terra…’
Although he desperately wished for it, he didn’t know that human had killed gods and survived an attack from Chaos.
————-
Midnight, September 1st.
A familiar environment unfolded before Ryu Min’s eyes.
It was a colorless space.
However, being alone in this vast, unknown space conveyed an indescribable sense of emptiness.
‘I thought I had gotten used to being alone… but it seems I haven’t.’
Until now, he had focused all his efforts on surviving alone, but this time he had acted differently.
He had focused on saving as many people as possible and, for the first time, had managed to bring 71 companions to the 20th round.
But those years of joint struggle vanished like a mirage with the appearance of Chaos, an absolute entity.
All his effort had been in vain.
‘No, it hasn’t been in vain. I have survived.’
The mere fact of having passed the 20th round was already an advancement compared to before.
However, anything is meaningless if no result is achieved.
‘I must overcome this round and get the Stone of Desire.’
He was willing to take any risk for the Stone of Desire.
At that moment of determination, a message appeared.
[Welcome, players who have reached the final round.]
[Before starting the last game, we will reveal the mission.]
There was no usual angel welcoming him.
Only a translucent window flickered before his eyes.
◀ FINAL ROUND ▶
<Mission>
Win the war against the demons
Final participants: 1
As expected, the mission was the same as in the 18th round.
The difference was that back then it was a practice game, but this time it was a real battle with the gods’ energy at stake.
‘Did they say the energy they bet is called Terra?’
To confirm the information he had heard, Ryu Min called the sleeping spirit.
-Hey, Plunictos. What is Terra?
-Huh?
Although he didn’t like being suddenly called for questions, Plunictos, with his soul mortgaged, had no choice but to respond humbly.
-It is energy. The one the gods use…
-Is it different from spiritual power?
-Yes, it is different.
-How is it different?
-Divine power is a higher energy that envelops a god’s body, while Terra is an energy that allows them to use their divine skills.
In simple terms, divine power is the innate essence of the gods, while Terra is a kind of mana needed to use their skills.
-Then, did you also have Terra?
-No. Since I am an incomplete god, I only had divine power.
-Nemesis, as a god, should have Terra, right?
-Yes, he surely bet a lot of Terra on the angels’ victory.
Ryu Min cut off communication without even saying he understood.
And immediately tried to communicate with Nemesis’s soul.
-Nemesis.
-……
-Not responding? Want to be annihilated?
-What do you want?
-You’re not very respectful. Seems like I’ll have to eliminate you. I don’t need disobedient souls like you…
-Sorry! I’m not used to it and, without meaning to, I said nonsense…
Nemesis knew well the pain of soul annihilation.
He had already had a conversation before the round started, and he was aware of his situation.
-I have a question. Do you have Terra?
-Terra? Of course. Well… I had it.
-How much?
-Around 6 million…
-Did you bet all that on the angels’ victory?
-Yes… but now it’s all been in vain.
-Is Terra so important to the gods? So much that they gamble with it?
-Yes. A god without Terra is like an empty shell. Terra is the energy used to employ one’s skills, and if one can’t use that energy, it’s the same as demonstrating ineptitude.
-So, it’s as important as money to humans.
It seemed reasonable to consider it as a form of wealth, as it could also be used in transactions.
-How is Terra obtained?
-There is no specific way. Terra accumulates naturally from birth. Well, it can also be stolen from other gods or won in bets.
-Then, I should also have Terra, right?
-If you are a god, you probably have it.
-How can I check it?
-Normally, one knows it naturally… Don’t you know?
Ryu Min didn’t bother to respond.
He didn’t know, and besides, the message announcing the start of the round appeared at that moment.
[The final round will begin shortly.]