The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player

Ten seconds passed.

Ryu Min’s blurry eyes suddenly opened wide.

“Is it over?”

He had managed not to lose consciousness.

Thanks to the Elixir of Rapid Regeneration, he was able to protect the lives of over a thousand people.

Ryu Min instinctively turned his head.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes were looking at him with admiration.

They were people who would have all died if Ryu Min had not stepped forward.

“Black Scythe…”

Some of the followers, including Huh Tae-seok, were looking at him as if they had seen a deity.

Some even clasped their hands together and prayed.

Christine’s eyes were filled with awe as well.

As if she were witnessing the reincarnation of a god who sacrificed himself for humanity.

[The time limit has expired.]

[You have successfully completed the third mission.]

[Survivors: 1,048, Deaths: 104.]

[Congratulations! You have completed the main quest!]

[You will be relocated shortly for the final calculation.]

It was a welcome notification, but no one could bring themselves to smile.

The bloodstains around Ryu Min were overwhelming.

Perhaps because they understood the cost of the sacrifices made, no one dared to celebrate openly.

Ryu Min, noticing the somber atmosphere, spoke in a calm tone.

“Why is it so quiet? Don’t hold back; you can rejoice.”

“But, Black Scythe, your condition…”

“You don’t have to worry about me. I may look like this, but I’m fine. And even if I were injured, it wouldn’t matter. Just saving so many lives is enough for me.” �

“Oh…”

“Black Scythe…”

Moved by his magnanimity, people looked at him with admiration.

With just a few words, he had solidified his image as a savior.

‘Having a good reputation isn’t a bad thing,’

Smiling kindly and savoring the moment, a welcome notification appeared before him.

[A hidden sub-quest has been discovered!]

Take the most damage during the third mission.

Reward ▶ Rune of Sacrifice.

[You have completed the sub-quest!]

[You have been granted the Rune of Sacrifice as a reward!]

[The acquired rune will automatically be engraved on the player’s body!]

‘As expected, I got it. The sub-quest reward.’

Although Ryu Min had stepped forward to protect others, his true goal had been this sub-quest reward.

[Rune of Sacrifice]

Effect: Designate one target within a 100-meter radius to take their damage on yourself.

The damage taken will decrease based on the caster’s defense.

The effect can be deactivated at will. However, if the target leaves the range, the effect will automatically deactivate.

‘Rune of Sacrifice. Not a bad rune.’

No, it was actually excellent.

It was one of the 18 essential runes he had to acquire.

‘There’s no better rune for protecting someone.’

The rune allowed him to take damage on behalf of the designated target.

It was, quite literally, a sacrificial rune.

‘If I apply it to someone important in the party, like Christine, I can protect them perfectly.’

While it meant taking Christine’s damage onto himself, Ryu Min wasn’t concerned.

The damage would scale according to his defense.

‘As long as I can endure it, Christine will essentially become invincible.’

It was a great rune, but it wasn’t the only reason he had cleared the sub-quest.

‘This round’s sub-quests are more important than ever.’

The reason would soon be revealed by the angel.

Shortly after, the scenery blurred, and the players returned to a monochromatic space one by one.

[Well, how was the mission? Was it harder than… you thought?]

The angel’s smiling face froze as she saw the over one thousand survivors.

[So many of you survived? I only expected about a hundred at most…]

‘A hundred? That’s being generous. Normally, less than fifty survive,’ Ryu Min thought, smirking inwardly as he looked around.

In his 100 regressions, he had never seen a sight like this.

Never before had there been this many people alive after the 15th round.

[Let’s see… 1,048 survivors? How did so many survive? This is beyond expectations!]

The angel’s shock mirrored the players’ feelings from moments earlier.

They hadn’t expected Black Scythe to shield them, sacrificing himself like a living barrier.

“Black Scythe…”

“Black Scythe truly is our savior.”

People looked at Ryu Min with such expressions.

Feeling the weight of thousands of gazes, Ryu Min thought of what he still had to do.

‘Those looks of admiration will soon turn to hatred.’

He sighed inwardly as the angel made a shocking announcement.

[You may not know this, but there was a hidden sub-quest in this round. The player who took the most damage during the third mission was the winner. Not surprising, right?]

This wasn’t shocking, as sub-quests were included in almost every round except the 1st and 6th.

The real surprise came next.

[But this sub-quest is different. Unlike other rounds, the winner of this sub-quest gains authority. What kind of authority, you ask?]

The angel grinned wickedly.

[The authority to determine the rankings of the players.]

“What? Rankings of the players?”

“What does that mean?”

Seeing the confusion, the angel laughed and explained.

[Until now, rankings were based on performance metrics, and rewards were distributed accordingly. But this round is different. The winner of the sub-quest gets to assign the rankings for 2nd to 576th place personally.]

“What…?”

“Personally assign rankings?”

[In other words, the one who sacrificed the most now holds the power of life and death over others. Isn’t that ironic?]Nôv(el)B\\jnn

It truly was ironic. The one who endured the most sacrifice was now in control of others’ fates.

People were stunned, feeling as though their heads were spinning.

I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!