The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player Novel - Chapter 342
Chapter 342 – Episode 101 (6)
Ryu Min was surprised to see the amount of Terra.
“I’ve only caught two, and I’ve already absorbed 20 million Terra…!”
He felt that immense power completely invading him.
His whole body was filled with vitality.
He instinctively knew how to use the Terra.
“If I cover my skills with Terra, their effect intensifies.”
The power to track the Chaos that tears through space was also based on Terra.
In other words, consuming a lot of Terra meant he could inflict definite damage even on Chaos.
“So that’s why I need to collect Terra.”
To inflict significant damage on Chaos, he needed more Terra.
That’s why, despite suddenly becoming immensely rich in Terra, he felt greedy.
The greed to kill Gods to obtain more skills and Terra.
However, Ryu Min shook his head, rejecting the temptation.
“I won’t kill innocent Gods. First, I’ll only kill the Gods who help Chaos.”
It was a joy to have so much Terra, but he had no intention of committing ruthless slaughter.
After all, Gods were also living beings.
“Although I’m not the best one to say that, having exterminated angels and demons.”
After a sarcastic laugh, he checked the new skills he had acquired.
[Temporary Skill – Master of Air]
-Effect: As a passive skill, it completely masters light and air. Can exert various physical forces.
[Temporary Skill – Jailer of Hell]
-Effect: As a passive skill, can control and manage the underground dungeon Tartarus.
“Both aren’t bad at all.”
He had leveled up to 463, and his stats had increased considerably.
A satisfactory result.
However, the place was gloomy and dreary to rejoice too much.
There was also a person tied up.
“It’s a human like me. He’s been brutally tortured.”
The human tied in the shape of a cross, bleeding profusely, was someone Ryu Min had never seen before.
“He doesn’t seem to be one of my companions.”
Appearing young, Ryu Min thought he might be a prematurely eliminated player, but suddenly he shivered.
He had read his thoughts and discovered his identity.
“This person…?”
Convinced that he was not a threat, Ryu Min cut the ropes with his scythe.
The human fell to the ground with a groan, raising his head with difficulty.
Despite the pain, he struggled to get up upon seeing Ryu Min, who had saved him.
“Tha-thank you… for saving me…”
“You’re a player, right? And you’ve returned 100 times.”
Surprised by Ryu Min’s words?
The human’s eyes, about to faint, focused with distrust.
“How do you know…?”
“I am also a player. You could say I’m your successor.”
“Su-successor…?”
Seeing the lack of understanding on the human’s face, Ryu Min decided to introduce himself.
“My nickname is Black Scythe. I’m about to face the seventh Great War of Heaven and Hell, and I’m still playing. And you?”
“My name is Kang Han-sik… and my nickname is the same.”
“Are you Korean?”
“Korean? What country is that?”
Ryu Min soon understood by reading his thoughts.
His interlocutor was not from the Earth he knew.
“I suppose your Earth is different from mine.”
“But, how do you know I’ve returned 100 times?”
Ryu Min decided to be honest.
“Sharing secrets with a mere soul shouldn’t cause me problems.”
Even if Chaos were observing this situation with its omniscient sight, it couldn’t read the conversation.
“I can read thoughts thanks to a rune.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I discovered that you’ve returned 100 times from your subconscious. Is it true that you obtained the Rune of Regression?”
“It is. Did you also…?”
“Yes. I also obtained the rune that allows one to return 100 times.”
“Ah, that’s why you said you were my successor.”
“What happened, Kang Han-sik? You’re here, so it seems you passed the Final Round. How did you end up in this situation? What happened to you?”
“Ugh… It’s a long story…”
Kang Han-sik sighed and began to recall the past.
“It was the first day of the new year. A demon appeared and told me I had to complete up to round 20.”
“So your guide was a demon. We had angels as guides.”
“Really? And what are angels like? Are they truly angelic?”
“They are no different from demons.”
“Heh, I figured. At least angels are pretty, but demons are horrible both in appearance and actions.”
Kang Han-sik gnashed his teeth, still trembling at the memory.
“The game was a real hell. Hearing the demon’s explanation of the first round terrified me even before facing a goblin. But, fortunately, I got an incredible rune that gave me a chance to overcome the challenges.”
“The Rune of Regression, right?”
“Yes. That rune transformed me from an ordinary person into someone extraordinary. Though dying 100 times almost drove me crazy… I never gave up. I only trusted in the promise that they would grant my wish.”
“So, you managed to pass the Final Round after 100 returns?”
“Yes.”
Ryu Min suddenly remembered something.
The race that lost in the Great War would get the chance to train humans for the next war.
“In which Great War?”
“The Final Round? I think it was the sixth.”
Ryu Min was about to participate in the seventh Great War.
“That means this person is from the generation before mine.”
Since the angels won the fifth war, the demons led the program in the sixth.
Everything made sense.
“So even in the demon-led program, there was a Rune of Regression?”
That meant it wasn’t the first time they attempted to kill Chaos.
“It seems Gaia designed everything so that weapons could be created, regardless of whether they were angels or demons.”
What would have happened if the demons had been his guides instead of the angels?
“Would killing the demon guide have given an item to change class to that of a death god, and killing the noble demons would have granted angelic blessings? But aren’t the Akashic Records supposed to be in heaven? So how would the demons communicate with Rubuahi?”
While he kept thinking, more questions naturally arose.
“The truth is, that person doesn’t know anything. He doesn’t know Rubuahi or Gaia.”
Not knowing of their existence even after reaching the Final Round?
That meant he hadn’t completed his development as a weapon and hadn’t had the chance to meet them.
“Kang Han-sik, did you kill any demons during the process?”
“Demons? How are they supposed to be killed? They can make a person explode just by looking at them.”
‘It seems demon guides are also given the power of execution.’
If Kang Han-sik had never killed a demon, his development would have been quite ordinary. At least in the eyes of the Gods.
Ryu Min took the opportunity to ask some things that intrigued him.
“Mr. Kang Han-sik, was the boss of round 20 also a Red Dragon?”
“Yes. I don’t remember its exact name because it was very long, but I’m sure of it. With my companions, we barely managed to kill it and thus advanced to the Final Round.”
‘It seems the only difference is that the guides were angels or demons, but the rounds were the same.’
Ryu Min slightly smiled and said:
“Even so, I envy you. You had companions. I wasted one of my returns due to a lack of people.”
“What do you mean you lost a return due to a lack of people?”
“I mean the boss room. If you don’t enter with at least five people, you disappear, right?”
“Disappear? What are you talking about…?”
Kang Han-sik seemed to have never heard of it.
Ryu Min, thinking it couldn’t be, asked in more detail.
“Wasn’t there a restriction on the number of people entering the boss room?”
“No, there wasn’t.”
“Wasn’t there a condition of disappearance if there were fewer than five?”
“Definitely not. How could I not remember such an important condition in round 20?”
To ensure the truth, Ryu Min explored Kang Han-sik’s mind.
‘It’s the same. Before entering the boss room, there were also 100 guardians protecting the entrance, and upon stepping on the pedestal, you were transported to the boss room.’
But there was a difference.
‘There was no restriction of five people in his system…’
Ryu Min was stunned, as if his brain had stopped for a moment.
He felt as if he had been struck from behind.
He had wasted 99 returns because of that restriction.
“What happened afterward? Did you pass the Final Round alone?”
“Ah, yes, we were talking about that. Yes, I was the only one to pass the Final Round and reached a place called the Hall of Wishes. I made my wish. I didn’t need power or anything; I just wanted them to erase all memories of what I lived in that other world.”
“Erase your memories?”
“It was too painful. How could I continue living constantly seeing the faces of my dead companions?”
“……”
“But they said they couldn’t erase the memories because I didn’t have enough contribution points. I asked if they could make me rich, and they said yes. So, I asked for that. I wanted to live the rest of my life without worries.”
Ryu Min nodded, understanding.
After returning 100 times, surely one would want to rest.
Kang Han-sik gave a slight smile at remembering those times.
“It was a wonderful time. I didn’t have to worry about being dragged back, and my bank account was full of money. At 20, I became what we call a ‘golden spoon’. Ah, I don’t know if you understand that expression.”
“Yes, we also use that expression.”
“Really? Well, I lived without money worries, met a beautiful wife, and we had lovely children. I lived without regrets. I was truly happy without needing the system’s power.”
The end of his life was simple.
He lived happily, saw his grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow up, and died of old age, over 100 years old.
“You had a peaceful death. You lived a life without regrets. But until the moment of my death, I didn’t know that hell awaited me afterward…”
“What happened?”
Kang Han-sik, looking dejected, continued his story after a deep sigh.
“I was spending my time working in the underworld when I heard from one of the guards that my wife and children had been imprisoned in Tartarus. That drove me crazy. I don’t know if you know, but Tartarus is a prison with a terrible reputation.”
“So you came to rescue your family?”
“That’s right. Even though I was just a common soul, I couldn’t sit idly by.”
What happened next was predictable.
He tried to infiltrate Tartarus to save his family but was captured by the guard, Erebus, and subjected to daily torture.
“I clung to the promise that if I endured the torture, they wouldn’t touch my family. I endured everything, bore every blow and suffering for them. It seemed like I would die at any moment, but the reality here is that you can’t die.”
“Did you live like that for years?”
“Yes. That’s the story of what I’ve lived through until now.”
Ryu Min nodded as he reflected on Kang Han-sik’s life.
Another player from Earth, Kang Han-sik.
He had obtained the ability to return 100 times, like him, but didn’t have the determination to kill demons, so his growth was quite ordinary.
The only wish he asked for after passing the final round with the stone of wishes was simply to be rich.
“In summary, he returned 100 times but didn’t reach the level to be used as a divine weapon like me. That’s why he didn’t have the chance to contact Rubuahi.”
In his desire for a normal life, he wasn’t very different from Ryu Min.
‘If I hadn’t killed the angel… If I hadn’t killed the archangel and had settled for growing enough to pass the final round… Would my life have been different?’
Ryu Min shook his head to clear those thoughts.
It was a useless fantasy.
It was already too late to go back.
Moreover, seeing Kang Han-sik’s life, it didn’t seem like a success.
Wasn’t he living a life of suffering in an underground dungeon?
And his wife and children as well.
“Mr. Kang Han-sik, do you know where your wife and children are imprisoned?”
“Yes, I do.”
Ryu Min smiled as he spoke.
“Guide me. Meeting here must be destiny, I’ll help you escape.”