The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player-Chapter 291: The Curse of Immortality (1)

‘Damn it!’

Though it was only for the briefest moment, Artaros instinctively sensed death.

Of course, death was a word far removed from someone like him, cursed with immortality.

And yet, just before dying, a troubled look crossed Artaros’s face.

Because even resurrection came with penalties.

Stab—!

The sword that had aimed for the black scythe instead pierced through Artaros’s neck.

The finishing blow had come right back at him.

And so, Artaros died.

Even so, Ryu Min couldn’t help but remain tense.

‘He’s not dead.’

Though his neck was pierced, Artaros was still moving.

A truly bizarre sight.

Shhk—

As he pulled the sword of light out of his own neck, the wound closed up as if nothing had happened.

[That… that got me good. I didn’t expect a reflection ability.]

Artaros shook his head, blaming himself for underestimating his opponent.

[Thanks to that, I’ve died twice. And I’ve taken a 10% stat penalty.]

The curse of immortality he bore allowed him to revive once without any penalties upon the first death.

However, if he died again within one hour, he’d suffer a penalty.

Namely, a 10% reduction in all stats.

If he died repeatedly in succession, the penalty would keep stacking.

Of course, since it was a temporary debuff, the stats would recover over time, but that wasn’t the issue.

Each time he revived, a piece of his soul was consumed.

That’s why being able to revive endlessly wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

Stats could recover—but lost pieces of his soul could never be reclaimed.

That was what made it a curse.

‘He can’t be killed, but he can still be penalized, is that it?’

Ryu Min, having read the inner workings of his enemy, saw a glimmer of hope in this fight.

But he didn’t grow overconfident.

Even with his stats reduced to 90%, Artaros was still powerful.

And judging by his expression, he was fully aware of that.

[If you thought this would be enough to kill me, you were mistaken.]

“I know. Killing you once isn’t going to solve anything.”

‘If I want to drop his stats, I have to kill him a few more times.’

If he died in succession, the stat penalties would stack, making him easier to kill over time.

With that in mind, Ryu Min raised his scythe again.

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[So you’re planning to keep coming at me?]

“No point in wasting words. You’re weakened now—how could I pass up this chance?”

[How foolish. You’ve just missed your chance to die cleanly.]

“Oh my, is the so-called god showing concern for me now?”

Artaros didn’t respond—he simply raised his sword.

He was preparing to use the skill from earlier, [Light of Annihilation].

[Since it’s come to this, I have no choice. I’ll use all my power to kill you.]

And Artaros truly poured all his strength into it.

A rainbow-colored glow rose from his sword.

When he said he was going all in, he wasn’t lying—the intensity of the light he emitted was tremendous.

So intense, it was difficult to even keep one’s eyes open.

To use such a wide-range skill in this situation where dodging is impossible…

It was, quite literally, a hopeless scenario.

‘But what if I charge in right now?’

The Rune of Battle calculated the distance to the enemy and his own speed—but it was still a bit too far.

Ryu Min realized that the light would reach his body before his scythe ever could.

So he had no choice but to unleash his ultimate move.

[Atone in death, foolish mortal.]

The Light of Annihilation filled his vision.

Regardless, Ryu Min charged straight forward.

He closed the distance to kill Artaros.

But before he could reach him, the light touched Ryu Min’s skin.

His hair burned away, his skin peeled off, and his bones became exposed.

The closer he got to the light, the more his body melted like ice cream.

Even with 80% damage reduction, this much?

His entire body felt the scale of this damage—it was unlike anything before.

But Ryu Min hadn’t charged in like a moth to flame without a plan.

[1,000,000 points used to purchase an EXP Pack.]

[EXP +15.87%]

[Level up!]

[Your rank has risen from ‘Master’ to ‘Grand Master.’]

[You may now use the ‘Command’ function.]

[All functions have been unlocked.]

[As a reward for rank-up, the skill ‘Mark of Death’ has been enhanced!]

[‘Mark of Death’ bonus damage increased from 160% → 200%.]

[As a rank-up bonus, ‘Night of Death’ has been enhanced!]

[‘Night of Death’ range increased from 1,500m → 3,000m.]

[As a rank-up bonus, ‘Moonlight Slash’ has been enhanced!]

[‘Moonlight Slash’ AoE damage increased from 1,800% → 3,000%.]

[As a rank-up bonus, ‘Crimson Moon’ has been enhanced!]

[‘Crimson Moon’ duration increased from 10 seconds → 20 seconds.]

[Additionally, you have learned the Reaper-exclusive skill ‘Death Sentence’!]

[Exclusive Skill – Death Sentence]

Effect: Instantly kills the enemy. Can only be used when target’s HP is below 30%. No cooldown.

[You are confirmed as the first player to reach max level. Congratulations!]

[Title ‘Max Level’ acquired.]

[As the first max-level reward, you’ve obtained the Rune of Growth.]

[The acquired rune has been automatically engraved into your body!]

[As a max-level bonus, all health is restored, and you enter a 1-minute invincibility state.]

One minute of invincibility.

A temporary buff that couldn’t be easily acquired.

It would’ve been wasteful to just hit max level and move on.

This was why Ryu Min had tried to delay reaching the level cap.

Because one minute of invincibility—depending on the situation—was a long time.

At least, for the enemy.

[……!?]

Artaros’s eyes widened at the sight of Ryu Min, his burnt flesh regenerating cleanly and radiant light wrapping around him.

[That’s… the max-level effect…?]

He recognized it too—but with no EXP to his name, he never thought it would happen now.

Slash—!

The scythe, slicing through the Light of Annihilation, cleaved Artaros in two.

Yet his body instantly reattached, as if nothing had happened—completely unscathed.

But both Artaros and Ryu Min knew something had changed.

“Your stats dropped by another 10%, right?”

[…….]

“Which means, by multiplicative calculation, you’re now at 81% of your original stats.”

[What are you getting at?]

“It means all that’s left is for you to get your ass beat for the next minute.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ryu Min swung his scythe—and Artaros blocked by instinct.

Or rather, tried to block.

Slash—!

One of his arms fell off.

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