The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - RMLP Chapter 296: Start of Round 19 (Part 2)

As he passed the time worrying, midnight arrived before he knew it.

Flash—

He closed his eyes once and opened them again, and a familiar scene unfolded.

A monochrome space—nothing different from the previous times.

“We’ve already made it to Round 19.”

“But… is this everyone?”

“Feels like there’s fewer people.”

Players who had arrived early looked around and let out sighs.

Normally, it would’ve been bustling, but with only 143 players, it was possible to count them by eye.

“This is the whole world’s player base…”

Still, having over a hundred people left at this point was an impressive achievement.

In previous runs, there had only been three survivors, including Ryu Min.

‘But even this large number… half of them will probably be cut down in this round.’

It was regrettable, but it couldn’t be helped.

The power of the system was absolute.

Even for someone like Ryu Min, who now possessed divinity, it made no difference.

[Hello, human beings.]

As always, a flash of light from the sky, and an angel appeared.

[Welcome to Round 19. You’ve made it to the penultimate round. Unfortunately, not all 143 of you can survive this one. As with previous rounds, only half will make it out alive.]

It was rare for the angel to open with an expression of regret.

The reason for its humble tone was none other than Ryu Min.

It feared he might kill it on a whim.

Even now, it was sneaking glances at him, reading his mood.

[Ahem, well then. Without further ado, let’s reveal the quest.]

As the angel flapped its wings, a message window popped up before each player’s eyes.

◀ ROUND 19 ▶

< Quest >

└Survive for 72 hours in a fantasy world.

[Unified Zone CA-EA001]

└Participants: 143

└Completions: 0/72

Players who saw the quest for the first time widened their eyes.

“72 hours?”

“They want us to survive for three full days?”

“And there’s no sub-quest, either.”

At a glance, it seemed like a very simple quest.

[As you can see, the quest is straightforward. Just endure for 72 hours in the fantasy world. However, not everyone can survive. Only 72 may make it. The rest will be eliminated.]

Up to this point, players nodded, seemingly accepting it.

But their expressions hardened at the next part.

[However, if more than 72 players survive, everyone will be eliminated. So, you must make sure that no more than 72 are alive when the timer ends. If even one extra person survives, the mission fails and all will die.]

“Everyone dies…?”

“W-wait, you mean if even 73 survive, we all die?”

[Correct.]

“So… you’re basically telling us to keep the survivors to 72 or fewer?”

“Is this a cooperative quest?”

“W-wait a second, angel. This doesn’t make sense. How are we supposed to control the number of survivors?”

To that question, the angel smiled brightly.

[How else? You adjust it by killing each other.]

“…”

There was no denying it—the quest was designed to incite murder.

[I think some of you are mistaken. You are not a party this time. This round is entirely individual. Everyone must survive on their own for 72 hours.]

But if more than 72 survive, everyone dies.

It was the worst possible outcome.

[What matters is the number of survivors at the end of the round. Even if it means killing others, you must make sure only 72 or fewer remain to avoid the worst-case scenario.]

In some ways, it resembled the deadly Round 4.

Killing allies to survive—just like before.

Though some of the details were different.

[You may think this is like Round 4, but in this round, there is no revival. If you die, that’s it.]

“It’s over…?”

“Not even with skills?”

[You can be revived using skills or potions. However, if you are not revived within 10 minutes, the system will assume you’re gone for good and erase you on the spot. Unlike before, there is no group elimination at the end—it’s immediate.]

Previously, eliminations were done all at once at the end.

But this time, it was different.

[Another difference is that you can track each other at any time.]

“We can track each other?”

[Once the round begins, your quest window will display player nicknames, faces, and real-time distances between you. It makes it easy to find one another. The system is kindly providing this convenience for your little game of death.]

Calling it “tracking” was just a euphemism—it was outright murder facilitation.

‘They really set the stage for everyone to kill each other.’

‘I won’t be able to sleep like this…’

‘I’ll have to stay awake and on guard the whole time.’

‘Sigh… no chance of resting.’

Players, sharing similar thoughts, began subtly distancing themselves from one another.

Even if they’d shared life and death together in the Death Church, they were still individuals.

No one could guarantee someone wouldn’t draw a blade to reduce the headcount.

Seeing people already wary of one another, Ryu Min sighed inwardly.

‘It’s inevitable. We can’t stay comrades forever.’

If the system said to kill, players whose lives were at stake had no choice.

In a world where yesterday’s ally became today’s enemy, Ryu Min looked to those he knew.

On the surface, they seemed calm, but inwardly, he could sense their anxiety and complex emotions.

‘Will they be okay? I hope they don’t do anything stupid.’

He was especially worried about Min Juri and Seo Arin.

He just hoped they wouldn’t end up fighting to the death.

Though inwardly uneasy, Ryu Min wasn’t overly worried.

Just in case, he had already given orders to his slaves.

He didn’t plan to spend all 72 hours just hunting, either.

[You can spend the 72 hours however you like—run, hunt, it’s up to you. However, towns are off-limits, so you’ll need to find your own food and water. There’s a nice saying in the human world: self-sufficiency, right? Hehe…]

The angel let out a mischievous giggle, but stiffened quickly upon seeing Ryu Min’s terrifying glare.

[A-anyway, the ranking criteria are secret. That’s all the explanation. You will now be transported to the fantasy world. Starting points will be randomly distributed, so don’t worry about getting stabbed right away. Then, see you all alive in 72 hours. Goodbye!]

Hyung_Otaku

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!

•