The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 135 (Part 1)
Chapter 135: The 99th Floor (Part 1)
[You have entered the 99th floor of the Tower of Trials.]
[A reward like no other awaits those who face the final trial.]
[Success in conquering the 99th floor will grant ► ????]
Ryu Min walked forward, paying little attention to the popping messages.
A fighting arena with a single level and a diameter of 150 meters came into view.
As he walked down the stairs towards the center, a message popped up.
[Scanning the information of the entrant to the 99th floor.]
[Player: Black Scythe (Lv89 Reaper)]
[Please wait. Scanning and copying player information.]
………………
…………
[Scan and copy complete. The final trial will begin in 10 seconds.]
Exactly 10 seconds later,
With a swish—
In front of Ryu Min, a man clad in black armor appeared, wielding a scythe.
[Face the enemy before you.]
The enemy before him.
It was himself.
“A battle against myself. That’s the last trial of the 99th floor.”
Ryu Min, already aware, did not panic and raised his scythe.
His opponent, an exact replica holding a Death Scythe, approached.
The strongest players, ranked number one in previous zones, clashed at a single point.
Clang-! Clang!
The scythes collided in the air, making a clear metallic sound.
Scratch- Scratch-!
At times, the sound of scythes scraping against each other could be heard.
Screech-
When locked in a power struggle, a scream-like metallic sound could jolt one awake.
After exchanging dozens of attacks in a short period, both stepped back.
‘It’s not just an illusion. It’s a clone perfectly replicated to be exactly like me.’
Strength, agility, speed, there wasn’t a single aspect that wasn’t identical to himself.
A perfect copy of himself.
So similar it would be fair to compare it to a mirror.
Ryu Min’s eyes filled with tension.
Having the strongest player before him was naturally intimidating.
Then, the clone took a step back and positioned itself to swing the scythe.
Whiz-
‘Moonlight Slash?’
Ryu Min immediately jumped.
However,
A second later, as if anticipated, a Moonlight Slash flew towards the direction he jumped.
An unavoidable angle.
Yet, Ryu Min was already positioned in mid-air.
“Moonlight Slash.”
Two blades imbued with moonlight collided.
Boom-Boom-Boom-Boom-Boom!
A chain explosion occurred as the massive energies clashed.
Ryu Min was blown away by the air pressure.
The distance between them widened, and the area was filled with dust.
The clone, aiming to kill Ryu Min, hesitated for a moment.
The sensation of Ryu Min’s presence disappeared due to the Stealth Rune, allowing perfect invisibility, making him impossible to find.
Eventually,
Thud-!
Ryu Min’s scythe emerged through the dust and struck the clone’s head.
Although the ambush was successful, Ryu Min couldn’t smile.
The body melted away and disappeared.
“A clone…!”
In a brief moment, the clone used a decoy and appeared behind Ryu Min.
The scythe, filled with murderous intent, aimed for his waist.
Slice-!
Ryu Min’s waist was split in two, but this too was a clone.
Reversing the situation, Ryu Min, now behind the clone, swung his scythe.
But the clone, as if expecting this, dodged by a hair’s breadth and countered with its scythe.
Clang-! Clang-! Clang!
After exchanging three blows in a brief moment, the clone disappeared.
Swoosh-
Ryu Min also used invisibility.
Both vanished from sight.
A serene silence engulfed the area.
‘As expected, it’s not easy.’
Facing himself as the opponent, it’s not an ordinary challenge.
The use of clones, invisibility, Moonlight Slash, etc.
Moreover, it can predict my movements since it also possesses the Rune of Foresight.
‘I distanced myself after the Moonlight Slash for this reason. To escape the range of the Rune of Foresight.”
Ryu Min didn’t jump for no reason.
He knew flying away due to the clash of Moonlight Slash and using the dust to obscure visibility would make him unreadable by the Rune of Foresight.
‘But this strategy also failed. It still has great reflexes.’
Titles, runes, stats, equipped items, items in possession, combat sense—everything was the same.
It’s like fighting a mirror.
It’s natural for Ryu Min to struggle.
“But I can’t back down now.”
With the reward for the 99th floor at stake, how could he give up?
Ryu Min’s scythe moved towards where he guessed his opponent might be.
* * *
Boom-Boom-Boom-Boom-Boom!
Boom-Boom-Boom-Boom-Boom!
Explosions powerful enough to shake the ground erupted in succession.
Flashes of light illuminated the darkness here and there.
A combo of Death’s Night, Crimson Moon, and Moonlight Slash unfolded towards the opponent.
“Just being grazed by one could mean death.”
Ryu Min smirked at his opponent while deflecting Moonlight Slash with his own.
“Five times. Used them all up, right?”
“……”
“Same here.”
The clone, though a copy of himself, did not speak.
It showed no emotion, just a mechanical face, rushing forward with its scythe.
Clang-! Clang-!
Knowing each other’s movements seven seconds in advance made their exchanges seem synchronized.
With perfectly matched stats, overpowering each other was not an option.
‘An hour has passed, and neither has a scratch.’
The mark of death revealed the opponent’s health bar, showing no fatigue or injury.
The same was true for Ryu Min.
Swoosh-
Swoosh-
As both used invisibility, silence returned.
While invisibility prevented location detection, this moment offered Ryu Min his only chance to rest.
It was also time to plan his strategy.
‘Phew, now how should I attack?’
He had tried every attack pattern, but nothing worked.
Every movement was predicted by the Rune of Foresight, which was expected.
Attempts to create unpredictable situations like kicking up dust were easily evaded as if the clone had already planned for such tactics.
Hence, surprise attacks didn’t work and often gave the clone a chance to counterattack.
Of course, Ryu Min didn’t just passively accept attacks; he always had a next card to play.
‘But this leads to no progress.’